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August 16, 2004
For Immediate Release
3M Reports Initial Sale of Composite
Conductor for Boosting Power Line Capacity
Breakthrough Product, Extensively Field Tested as Bottleneck Solution,
To Be Installed by Xcel Energy in First Application
St. Paul, MN –
3M’s new Aluminum Composite Conductor Reinforced (ACCR), an
overhead power conductor that doubles the electrical transmission capacity
of conventional conductors of the same diameter, will receive its first
commercial application early next year, when Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy
installs the ACCR on a 10-mile (16 kilometer) transmission line in the Twin
Cities region.
Xcel Energy is using the conductor to increase the capacity of a
transmission line that extends from Shakopee to Burnsville. The upgrade is
part of a $100 million expansion project at the utility’s Blue Lake
“peaking” plant in Shakopee, which is needed to ensure a
reliable supply of power to Xcel Energy’s customers in the Upper
Midwest during periods of peak electricity demand. Xcel Energy provides a
comprehensive portfolio of energy-related products and services to 3.3
million electricity customers, and 1.8 million natural gas customers
through its regulated operating companies in 11 western and midwestern
states.
3M’s ACCR is intended as a solution to thermally constrained
transmission bottlenecks that have increasingly plagued electricity grids
in recent years, causing brownouts and blackouts.
“ACCR represents one of the most significant advances in
transmission technology in decades,” said Tracy Anderson, business
development manager for 3M’s composite conductor program. “The
Department of Energy, in its National Transmission Grid Study in May 2002,
named advanced conductors as a key enabling technology for upgrading the
national electricity transmission system. 3M is proud to be bringing this
technology to fruition.”
The product has been extensively tested in the laboratory and field
tested for the past four years, including at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
in Tennessee, under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy, and at
locations operated by Xcel Energy, Western Area Power Administration (in
North Dakota and Arizona) sites, the Salt River Project, also an Arizona
utility, Hawaiian Electric Company, and Bonneville Power Administration at
a site in Washington state. The power line has been proven under a broad
range of extreme conditions, such as saltwater corrosion, high winds,
vibration and extreme heat and cold.
Mr. Anderson thanked the U.S. Department of Energy and the utilities
that have been participating in field trials, and noted that Xcel Energy
“has stepped forward to take a leadership position in helping an
important breakthrough technology realize its potential in the energy
marketplace.”
“We found 3M’s new composite conductor to be the right
solution for boosting capacity and reliability on a line that is an
integral part of the grid in the Upper Midwest, where Xcel Energy serves
1.5 million electricity customers,” said Don Jones, director of
transmission asset management at Xcel Energy. “We are always looking
for new ways to improve service to our customers. We evaluated various
conductors for the project, and determined that the 3M conductor is the
only option that will get the job done on time, because it will allow us to
increase the line’s capacity without installing new
towers.”
ACCR, a new type of bare overhead conductor containing a multi-strand
core of heat resistant aluminum matrix composite wires, retains its
strength at high temperatures and is not adversely affected by
environmental conditions, such as moisture or UV exposure. Because of its
light weight and reduced thermal expansion properties, the conductor can be
installed on existing towers and requires no visual changes to a line or
additional rights of way.
The technology has been recognized by R&D Magazine with an R&D
100 award as one of the most technologically significant products
introduced into the marketplace and by the Minnesota High Tech Association
with a Tekne Award for innovative development.
More information about the 3M Composite Conductor
is available at
www.3M.com/accr.
Contact 3M Canada PR department.
3M, Scotchgard, Thinsulate, Scotch-Brite,
Filtrete, Command and Vikuiti are trademarks of 3M Company.
Scotch and Post-it are registered trademarks of 3M.
Used under license in Canada.
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