Putting Advanced Reconductoring to Work
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has taken another important step toward accelerating the modernization of America’s transmission grid, announcing 31 projects across 26 states under its Speed to Power through Accelerated Reconductoring and other Key Advanced Transmission Technology Upgrades (SPARK) initiative. Collectively, the selected projects represent $5.25 billion in investment, including $1.9 billion in federal funding and $3.35 billion in recipient cost sharing. DOE reports that the projects are expected to reconductor or rebuild more than 1,500 miles of transmission infrastructure, deploy Grid-Enhancing Technologies across nearly 21,000 miles of transmission lines, and make more than 23 gigawatts of additional grid capacity available.
For CTC Global, one of those selections is particularly meaningful – and provides a strong example of advanced reconductoring being put into practice.
PPL Electric Utilities has been selected to receive up to $71.5 million in DOE funding for its Montour Grid Resilience and Advanced Reconductoring Project, a major modernization of an existing 230-kV transmission corridor in Pennsylvania. The proposed project will rebuild approximately 29.3 miles of existing transmission infrastructure, replacing aging equipment with advanced technologies designed to strengthen reliability and resilience, increase available transmission capacity, and support growing electricity demand while maximizing the value of infrastructure and rights-of-way already in place.
CTC Global is proud that ACCC® Conductor has been selected as part of this important project. The project will also install dual optical ground wire and demonstrate Distributed Acoustic Sensing technology, creating an excellent example of how advanced conductors, communications, sensing and other Advanced Transmission Technologies can work together to improve the performance of existing transmission infrastructure.
CTC Global Chief Policy & Grid Strategy Officer Theodore Paradise joined U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and PPL Electric Utilities leaders for the announcement. In recognizing the project, Paradise thanked Vincent Sorgi, Christine Martin, David J. Bonenberger and the entire PPL team for their leadership and collaboration, while highlighting the ability of advanced reconductoring to rapidly and cost-effectively increase the transmission capability of an existing right-of-way.
Getting More from the Grid We Already Have
Perhaps the most important aspect of the SPARK initiative is its focus on making better use of existing transmission infrastructure. Building entirely new transmission corridors remains essential in many parts of the country, but those projects can require substantial time for planning, permitting, siting, property acquisition and construction. Reconductoring existing lines with higher-capacity conductors offers utilities another important option – one that can increase transmission capability while making use of existing corridors and, where practical, existing structures.
That principle is central to DOE’s SPARK initiative. DOE describes the selected projects as demonstrating how reconductoring, paired with other Advanced Transmission Technologies, can expand grid capacity, increase operational efficiency and improve overall reliability and security. DOE also points specifically to the ability to maximize existing rights-of-way, alleviate congestion constraints and reduce the need for some expensive greenfield construction.
The Montour project brings that strategy into particularly clear focus. Rather than viewing advanced conductors, sensing technologies and other grid-enhancing solutions as competing approaches, PPL is bringing multiple technologies together to address the needs of an existing transmission corridor. The result will provide valuable operating experience while helping PPL strengthen an important part of its transmission system and prepare for continued growth.
Advanced Reconductoring Moves to the Forefront
For CTC Global, the announcement also reflects a development the company has worked toward for more than two decades: greater recognition of advanced reconductoring as a practical tool for increasing transmission capacity.
ACCC® Conductor was developed specifically to help utilities increase capacity and improve the performance of existing and new transmission lines. Its lightweight carbon-fiber composite core allows substantially more conductive aluminum to be incorporated into a conductor without a corresponding increase in conductor diameter or weight, while its very low coefficient of thermal expansion helps control thermal sag as operating temperatures and electrical loads increase. These characteristics can be particularly valuable when utilities need additional capacity but face physical, permitting, right-of-way or schedule constraints.
The significance of SPARK, however, extends well beyond any single conductor or technology. DOE is supporting a portfolio that combines advanced conductors with dynamic line rating, advanced power-flow control, sensing, communications, analytics and other transmission technologies. According to DOE, the 31 selected projects will collectively support service territories representing more than 39 million customers while unlocking more than 23 GW of additional grid capacity.
That represents an important change in scale. Advanced transmission technologies are increasingly moving from studies, demonstrations and individual projects toward broader deployment strategies aimed at solving immediate capacity, reliability and economic-development challenges.
Meeting Rapidly Growing Electricity Demand
The timing is particularly important. Electricity demand is growing rapidly in many parts of the United States as utilities work to accommodate new manufacturing facilities, data centers, electrification and other large loads while continuing to serve existing customers reliably and affordably. In many locations, the question is no longer simply how much additional transmission capacity will eventually be needed, but how quickly that capacity can be made available.
DOE Secretary Chris Wright emphasized that objective in announcing the SPARK selections, stating that the investments are intended to “get more out of the infrastructure we already have” while moving more electricity across the grid and supporting affordable, reliable and secure power. DOE Office of Electricity Assistant Secretary Catherine Jereza similarly emphasized the deployment of advanced transmission technologies to modernize critical infrastructure and maximize the capacity of existing lines.
PPL Electric Utilities President Christine Martin also emphasized the importance of combining federal resources with utility investment to modernize critical infrastructure, strengthen reliability and resilience, and deploy technologies that can help inform future grid investments. For PPL customers and communities across the Susquehanna Valley, Greater Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania, the Montour project is intended to provide long-term reliability and affordability benefits while preparing the system for growing electricity needs.
Collaboration That Can Help Move the Grid Faster
CTC Global congratulates PPL Electric Utilities and its project team on this important selection and recognizes the U.S. Department of Energy and Office of Electricity for supporting investments that can help accelerate transmission modernization. We are pleased that ACCC® Conductor will play a role in the Montour Grid Resilience and Advanced Reconductoring Project and look forward to supporting PPL as the project moves forward.
More broadly, the SPARK selections demonstrate what can happen when utilities, technology providers and government agencies work together around a practical objective: increasing the capability of the transmission system we already have while continuing to build the grid infrastructure America will need for the future.
With more than 1,500 miles of transmission infrastructure expected to be reconductored or rebuilt through the selected projects, SPARK represents an important opportunity to demonstrate advanced reconductoring at meaningful scale. The experience gained through projects such as PPL’s Montour modernization can help utilities across the country better understand how advanced conductors and complementary transmission technologies can be deployed to increase capacity, strengthen reliability and make more productive use of existing transmission corridors.
For CTC Global, we are proud to contribute to that effort – and especially proud to see ACCC® Conductor helping put the promise of accelerated reconductoring into practice.
