LUCELEC Rebuilds Section of 66kV Lines to the South

LUCELEC says work to rebuild a section of the 66 kilovolt (kV) transmission line that is crucial to the delivery of power to residents in the south of the island is nearing completion.

The 3.28 kilometres of transmission line on the East Coast from Ti Rocher, Micoud to Canelles had become prone to faults after 20 years in service. Engineers are now making their final adjustments before the lines are fully restored later this month

The lines had become less reliable after years of constant exposure to sea blast which resulted in corrosion and failure of pole top equipment.

In rebuilding the lines LUCELEC has now changed the specifications of some of its materials and equipment to resist the sea blast. The new materials are less prone to contaminant build-up and can reduce the effects of the corrosion caused by salt deposited by the sea blast on the equipment. This will help to minimise faults and prolong the life of the transmission lines.

The company also changed the pole configuration for the transmission lines to use one pole instead of two or three pole structures reducing the amount of land space required and lessening the need for tree trimming.  The poles and the transmission lines have also been moved closer to the road network to improve access for fault finding, emergency as well as planned maintenance and to deal with some landowners’ concerns.

LUCELEC Deputy Transmission & Distribution Manager Michael Thomas says the completed works “will result in an improvement in the reliability and efficiency of the electricity supply to the south”.

The line rebuilding project represents one of LUCELEC’s initiatives aimed at achieving its strategic goals for cost effective energy production and delivery, as well as reliability.