Overview
August 2025 brought the release of a comprehensive new report prepared by London Economics International LLC (LEI) for WIRES: “Use of Advanced Transmission Technologies and Innovative Practices in Power Systems: Potential Benefits, Lessons Learned, and Recommendations.” This in-depth study examines the rapidly expanding world of Advanced Transmission Technologies (ATTs) and Innovative Practices, offering clear recommendations to help utilities, regulators, and policymakers modernize the grid in the face of unprecedented demand growth.
We at CTC Global congratulate and thank WIRES for commissioning this work, and LEI for producing such a robust, data-rich review of both established and emerging grid solutions.
A Big-Picture Look at ATT+
The report uses the term ATT+ to encompass both:
- Advanced Transmission Technologies (ATTs) – such as advanced conductors, dynamic line ratings, flexible transformers, and topology optimization.
- Innovative Practices – new approaches in siting, permitting, construction, and operations that can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and accelerate project delivery.
Technologies are mapped to all stages of the transmission lifecycle:
- Siting & Design – AI-powered routing tools, compact line designs, expedited permitting programs.
- Construction – modular tower raising systems, helicranes, exoskeletons.
- Operations – advanced conductors, digital substations, energy storage-as-transmission, drones, LiDAR, and a range of Grid Enhancing Technologies (GETs)
Why This Matters Now
The study points to rapidly growing electricity demand—driven by electrification, data center growth, and manufacturing – coupled with the urgent need to replace aging infrastructure and harden the grid against extreme weather. ATTs are not replacements for traditional transmission investments, but they are powerful tools to:
- Expand capacity
- Improve reliability
- Reduce costs
- Increase resilience
Advanced Conductors Take Center Stage
Among the wide spectrum of technologies profiled, Advanced Conductors stand out as one of the few solutions that can simultaneously:
- Enhance capacity by carrying more current than conventional conductors
- Reduce losses through lower electrical resistance
- Improve resilience via lower thermal expansion, mitigating line sag and wildfire risks
CTC Global’s ACCC® Conductor is a proven, field-deployed example of this class – already installed in more than 1,400 projects worldwide. Its composite core and trapezoidal aluminum strands allow utilities to double line capacity in existing corridors, defer costly rebuilds, and cut line losses by 25–40%. In the context of LEI’s findings, ACCC® Conductor delivers precisely the kind of multi-dimensional benefits that utilities and regulators are seeking.
Lessons Learned and Barriers to Adoption
LEI’s interviews and surveys revealed:
- Utilities favor technologies with proven track records – a strong point for commercially mature solutions like ACCC® Conductor.
- Long-term benefits often get undervalued in short-horizon planning processes.
- Financial incentives aren’t always aligned between traditional capital projects and innovative operational solutions.
The report’s recommendations address these barriers, including collaborative pilots, regulatory sandboxes, technology readiness tracking, and incentive alignment.
Five Key Recommendations from LEI
- Collaborative Pilots & Knowledge Sharing – Utilities pool pilot projects, share lessons learned, and build a common resource repository.
- Proactive, Long-Term Planning – Extend evaluation horizons to fully capture ATT+ lifecycle benefits.
- Ongoing Technology Readiness Tracking – Keep stakeholders informed when solutions mature to deployment-ready status.
- Regulatory Sandboxes – Safely trial innovative approaches without long-term compliance risk.
- Align Financial Incentives – Level the playing field for ATT+ compared to conventional infrastructure.
CTC Global’s Perspective
The LEI/WIRES report underscores what we’ve seen in the field for nearly two decades: Advanced Conductors, and the ACCC® Conductor in particular, deliver immediate and lasting grid benefits. As utilities adopt the broader ATT+ toolkit, pairing ACCC® Conductor with other advanced hardware, software, and construction innovations can accelerate grid modernization, improve resilience, and help meet climate and economic goals.
About CTC Global: We design, test, and manufacture the ACCC® Conductor, the world’s most widely deployed high-performance conductor, helping utilities worldwide increase capacity, reduce losses, and improve grid reliability.
