SPP 230 kV Reconductor — 144 miles
We upgraded 144 miles of single-circuit 230 kV transmission line from the old wire to a higher-capacity type — nearly doubling its capacity without changing the towers. Our crews used a mix of techniques: working on energized sections to minimize outages, and taking de-energized outages during planned windows. The whole project took 19 months.
- Client
- SPP transmission owner
- Region
- Kansas / Oklahoma (SPP)
- Duration
- 19 months to energize
- Voltage
- 230 kV · single-circuit
- Status
- Energized
Project details.
The challenge we walked into.
The SPP transmission owner needed to nearly double the capacity on a 144-mile transmission corridor — without replacing the towers. That meant working on lines that stayed energized for parts of the work, plus tight outage windows on de-energized sections. The operator wanted to minimize the cost of curtailed power flow during outages.
How we approached the work.
- 01
Mixed crew strategy
Two energized-line crews and four outage-window crews worked in parallel. The energized crews kept making progress while de-energized sections waited for outage clearance.
- 02
Higher-capacity wire
We selected a special high-temperature wire that could carry more power without changing the towers. Crews swapped pulling rigs between sections as the work progressed.
- 03
Careful outage planning
Outage requests were submitted against the grid operator’s curtailment forecasts. Each window had a no-energize fallback so the operator never paid for unbudgeted curtailment costs.
What the client got.
144 miles energized 19 months from start. Higher capacity delivered without rebuilding the towers. The operator carried zero unbudgeted curtailment cost across 18 outage windows.
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