3M™ Aluminum Conductor Composite Reinforced Customer Installations - Long Span/River Crossings

View the video to see CFE, Mexico's electric transmission utility, install 3M ACCR on a 115 kV line to avoid replacing a damaged tower in an environmentally sensitive area.

With 3M ACCR, they got the capacity they needed without changing towers or replacing the damaged tower, while improving the clearance over the river. The installation also demonstrates the ease with which the conductor was installed.

BCTC, the operator of the transmission system for the British Columbia province, installed 3M ACCR on two segments of the Vancouver Island Transmission Reinforcement (VITR) Project to minimize the disruption to the diverse ecology and sensitive waterways. Larger towers to accommodate larger conductors or double bundling would require bringing heavy equipment into remote areas by barge; installing new foundations and towers; digging out the existing footings and then transporting the aggregate. Moreover, one of the segments goes through part of a provincial park where preserving the sightline was important. Using 3M ACCR, the transmission utility was able to meet these goals.

In addition, they were able to install the conductor through unusually long spans, avoiding adding towers to the line. One segment, the Sansum Crossing, included a 5,800 foot (1,770 m) single span. The second segment, the Montague Crossing, was a 6,000 foot (1,830 m) multi-span installation.

As part of building a new line across the river, CPFL Energia’s power distribution unit, CPFL Paulista, eliminated the need for a tower on an island that had been submerged during spring flooding by installing 3M ACCR 336-T16 (171 mm²) on structures on each shore. Using the 3M conductor avoided the delay of waiting for the river to subside, allowed better control over overall project costs and lowered the construction risks and environmental impacts of installing foundations and towers in the middle of the river. The utility can also use standard maintenance procedures, as the need for boats was eliminated. The ampacity increase was equal to the ACSR Hawk 477 kcmil (238 mm²) on the rest of the line.