How to Improve the Efficiency, Capacity, Reliability and Resilience
of the Electric Power Grid with ACCC® Conductor
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Quick Update:
Since January 1st of this year, 41 ACCC® Conductor Projects have been completed, 58 are currently active and 64 additional ACCC® Conductor installations are scheduled to start within the next few months, in addition to over 900 completed. Why? Because the ACCC® Conductor offers the ability to improve the efficiency, capacity, reliability and resilience of the electric power grid, worldwide, while saving time, money and the environment.
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ACCC® Conductor is currently reducing CO2 emissions by over 3 million metric tons every year - the equivalent of removing over 750,000 cars from the road
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Group picture of L&T team (EPC) and Kahramaa Representatives (utility) witnessing Mosdofer splice installed on ACCC Amsterdamn Conductor for project in Qatar. Picture taken by ACCC Master Installer Vasantha Kumar (not shown). |
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How the ACCC® Conductor Can Help Utilities Reach Sustainability Goals and Future Proof the Grid
In the United States it is estimated that approximately 6% of all electricity generated is lost to the inefficiencies in our transmission and distribution grid. While great consideration is given to the efficiency of generation equipment and demand-side appliances, very little consideration is given to the efficiency of the wires that are installed in our power grid (except after-the-fact measurements).
According to EIA, technical T&D estimated losses in the US are about 200 MILLION MWh per year. This means that the equivalent of 22,821 MW of power plants are running 100% of the time to serve grid line losses that do nothing more than heat the air. A reduction in line losses will not only reduce the cost of delivered power to consumers and reduce air and water emissions, it will also reduce the amount of clean and renewable generation resources required to reliably serve the electric load.
The place to consider increasing the efficiency of a grid project is at the project design stage. While chosing an incandescent light bulb over an LED bulb might be an unwise decision, the inefficient light bulb can easily be replaced in a year. For a grid project, an overlooked efficiency opportunity may be a lost opportunity for decades.
The ACCC Conductor can not only help deliver more power from a wider range of generation assets, it can also reduce line losses by 30% or more. The return on investment is remarkable. Please take a closer look at www.ctcglobal.com
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ENMAX Completes 1st ACCC® Conductor Installation in Canada
Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, with operations across Alberta and Maine, ENMAX is a leading provider of electricity services, products and solutions. Last month ENMAX crews completed a 138 kV ACCC® Reconductor project to increase line capacity and clearance to ground.
Using the existing structures, ENMAX selected 1582 kcmil (801.4 mm2) Bittern size ACCC® Conductor that increased line capacity to over 2,300 amps. The ACCC® Conductor delivered to the project was supplied by Prysmian, while hardware was supplied by Preformed Line Products (PLP).
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PSTCL Completes First ACCC® Installations in Punjab
CTC Global is pleased to announce that Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited in India completed their first two ACCC® Conductor Installations earlier this year. The project included reconductoring their 12.8 ckm 132 kV line from the 220 kV Verpal Substation to the 132 kV Mall Mandi Substation and their 5 ckm double circuit 220 kV line from the 400 kV Ludhiana (PGCIL) substation to the 220 kV Lalton Kalan substation.
The Verpal – Mandi line is one of the alternate supply lines to the famous Golden Temple of Amritsar and its nearby region. PSTCL selected Casablanca size ACCC® Conductor for their 132 kV line and Drake size ACCC® Conductor for the 220 kV lines. Gupta Power Infrastructure Limited manufactured the ACCC® Conductor and also provided engineering and installation services. ACCC Master Installer Bapi Ghosh was onsite to provide training and support. The crews used ZECK, TESMEC and OMAC stringing equipment. TAG provided ACCC Hardware.
The reconductoring project enabled the use of existing lattice structures that included crossings of the Delhi-Amritsar National highway and two electrified railway crossings. The project was completed during the winter with temperatures approaching 0 degrees Celsius. Infrared Thermography Inspections were conducted after both lines were energized, both of which confirmed excellent results.
The ACCC® Conductor has been installed and energized in nearly 150 Projects in 21 out of 28 states in India.
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Line Upgrade In Luxembourg With ACCC® InfoCore™ System
CTC Global’s innovative ACCC InfoCore™ System is now being applied across the European transmission network. A recent example of the application of this installation verification technology is an ongoing reconductoring project for Creos Luxembourg.
The project involves the upgrading of the twin-circuit 220kV Roost-Flebour-Bauler line with a route length of 26.4km in double-bundle conductor configuration. The upgrade comprises the upgrading of ACSR conductors with ACCC InfoCore™ Conductor, increasing line capacity from 645 to 1,800 amps with a surge capacity of 2,525 amps using ACCC InfoCore™ Lisbon size conductor manufactured by Lamifil in Belgium.
The route crosses heavily forested areas bordering the Southern Ardennes and German border with varying altitudes. This being the case, installation pads are restrictive in some locations. “Considerable attention has been paid to the tensioner sites to ensure the safe payout of the conductors,” commented Chris Morrison, CTC Global’s Regional Service Manager in Europe.
“We have worked closely with the EPCs (C-Team and Powerlines), Lamifil as well as Creos themselves on this project,” continued Chris, where a focus has been the extensive deployment of the ACCC InfoCore™ System. CTC Global has carried out comprehensive Operator and Technician training for the parties using its proven InfoCore™ System training modules. "The InfoCore™ System is proving a real risk-mitigation bonus for this project where certain sites offer restricted payout,” commented Chris.
Peter Hughes, VP CTC Global Europe added "The ACCC InfoCore™ System has added another layer of reliability and assurance to our growing customer base in Europe and around the world, especially over challenging terrain when pulling conditions are less than optimal. Learn more about the ACCC InfoCore System by viewing this brief VIDEO LINK
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The Importance of Grid Efficiency - Check out this quick video |
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ACCC® ULS Conductor Offers Added Strength and Reduced Sag
First deployed on a 1.4 kilometer lake crossing in Africa in 2013, The ACCC® ULS Conductor offers greater strength, a lower coefficient of thermal expansion and higher modulus of elasticity than the standard ACCC Conductor core. The added strength and lighter weight can enable longer spans and the higher modulus and increased stiffness reduces sag and blow out during high wind conditions. Improved stiffness can also reduce sag under heavy ice load conditions.
Dozens of engineers have specified ACCC ULS Conductor for projects, worldwide, and the ULS version of the ACCC Conductor has served our clients well. The ACCC ULS Conductor is available in many sizes and offers transmission engineers added design flexibility.
The ACCC ULS Conductor can be ordered with Type 1350-O fully annealed aluminum or as an AZR version with Aluminum-Zirconium thermal resistant alloy for even higher overall conductor strength.
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ACCC AZR Conductor – Expanding the Capabilities of the ACCC® Conductor Using Aluminum Zirconium Alloy
ACCC® AZR Conductor uses either the standard 310 ksi core or the higher strength 375 ksi core that is then wrapped with one or more layers of a high strength, thermal resistant aluminum-zirconium alloy. While conventional ACCC Conductors typically use fully annealed aluminum to maximize conductivity, the ACCC AZR Conductor offers nearly the same efficiency, but far greater overall strength. The added strength and increased tensile modulus mitigates conductor sag under heavy wind or ice loads, or very long spans. To learn more visit www.ctcglobal.com
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Did You Know:
The ACCC® Conductor Core is the only carbon fiber conductor core in the world that meets the internationally recognized ASTM B-987 Standard, "Standard Specification for Carbon Fiber Thermoset Polymer Matrix Composite Core (CFC) for use in Overhead Electrical Conductors."
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CTC Global's Free Conductor Comparison Program CCP™ Software is Available Online
CTC Global is pleased to announce that our highly regarded Conductor Comparison Program (CCP™) software is now available online. The new web-based version has all the features found in the Excel version, which has been replaced and will no longer be supported. The new version is designed to make it easier to use, and it also has some new features. Having CCP online will make it easier to keep it up-to-date with new wire files and other data, and to add improvements as they are made. Users will always know they have the current version every time they log in. CCP is also compatible with tablets.
Registration to use CCP requires only a valid email address and password. Users may also use CCP as a guest however, saving and export features are only available to registered users.
Thank you for using our CCP. We welcome your feedback. For technical support, please contact ccphelp@ctcglobal.com
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Looking for ACCC® Conductor Hardware?
Check out our Supplier Parts Database
CTC Global added a new Hardware Supplier Parts Database to our website. The database will help you find all of the hardware components you need to install ACCC® Conductor. The database shows which hardware manufacturers offer the parts you might need in your particular region while offering many options.
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Free Engineering Manual
To help Transmission and Distribution planners, engineers, policy makers, grid operators, technicians and others take full advantage of the ACCC® Conductor's attributes, CTC Global has published a 250 page Engineering Manual.
It offers a very comprehensive set of design guidelines, case studies, figures and facts about conductors and composite materials, and includes links to additional resources and FAQ's
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Check out CTC Global's Blog
In addition to our monthly newsletter and social media posts, CTC Global also posts articles on the Company's BLOG SITE. If you haven't checked it out, please do when you have free time. You will find an interesting array of project details, industry trends and efficiency discussions and much more. We also do our best to respond to posted comments.
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Follow CTC Global on LinkedIn
We hope you find our monthly newsletter informative, but realize you may not have time to read 1,000 e-mails every week. If you'd like to only receive periodic announcements about major CTC Global and ACCC® Conductor activities please consider following us on LinkedIn. To access our LinkedIn page please click: CTC Global LinkedIn
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Follow CTC Global on Twitter
For up to the minute news about CTC Global, the ACCC® Conductor, ACCC Installation Projects and other industry trends, news, and announcements please consider following CTC Global on Twitter. To do so, please click: CTC Global Twitter or look for us @CTC_ACCC
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CTC Global is Hiring
We're dedicated to providing our customers with the highest quality products by employing, developing, empowering and retaining the most energetic and talented employees. At CTC Global we value our employees highly and understand that the company's success is the sum of the success of every individual in the organization.
CTC Global is an equal opportunity employer, provides a drug-free workplace, free of discrimination and harassment, and offers a comprehensive benefits package to its full-time employees. Additionally, CTC has proudly taken the Veteran hiring pledge to affirm our commitment to actively hire veterans of the U.S Armed Forces. For information on a challenging and rewarding position at CTC Global, please contact our HR department directly at: careers@ctcglobal.com or https://www.ctcglobal.com/careers/
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CTC Global proudly works with top-tier manufacturing partners worldwide |
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ACCC® Conductor is an internationally patented and trademark registered product of CTC Global Corporation. The ACCC Conductor is manufactured in association with 34 qualified and licensed international stranding partners. If you are interested in the ACCC Conductor, please contact CTC Global to make sure your supplier is authorized to produce and deliver ACCC Conductor in your area. Thank You.
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CTC Global, Inc. 2026 McGaw Avenue Irvine,
CA 92614 Phone: +1 949.428.8500
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