Composite Technology Announces Line Completion in Belgium

Tuesday, Feb 09, 2010

Composite Technology Corporation (CTC) (OTCBB: CPTC) is pleased to announce the completion of the first ACCC® conductor transmission line in Belgium. Both circuits of this 20 kilometer overhead line were reconductored in 2009 and are now fully energized. Lamifil in Belgium produced the conductor.

With the choice of ACCC® Lisbon conductor, Elia, the Belgian transmission operator, was able to increase the current carrying capacity of the existing 150kV line between Mol and Beringen without modifying or replacing any of the lattice steel towers. The key issue considered by the utility in this project was the ability to transmit the output of a new power plant while continuously keeping one circuit in service and limiting the environmental impact. ACCC® conductor was selected due to its unique efficiency characteristics and to avoid the expensive cost and difficulty of modifying structures, which would have been required with other conductor solutions, while doubling the line's capacity for N-1 situations with less sag and lower magnetic fields.

Energy-efficient ACCC® conductor contains about 28% more aluminium in the same diameter and weighs less than the traditional ACSR conductor. This results in line losses being reduced by about one-third as compared to a similar sized ACSR. The greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted from the generation to supply those losses are also eliminated. Replacing the ACSR 298 conductor with ACCC® Lisbon conductor for this line doubled the ampacity and should save an estimated 378,000 MWh of losses over a 30 year economic life. It should also reduce generation capacity requirements by 3.5 MW and save the emission of over 235,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide over that 30 year period, equivalent to displacing 50,000 metric tons of coal in generation.

"ACCC® conductor and accessories are easy to install when you take into account the technical requirements and the necessary know-how," stated Wim Kuterna, Manager High Voltage - Lines & Underground for Fabricom, who was responsible for the successful installation.

Bart Pelssers, Project Leader of Elia explained: "We have carefully planned this project ahead and evaluated all possible options to come to the best solution for this line. The ACCC® conductor install ran very smoothly and was completed ahead of schedule. Elia will surely consider using ACCC® conductors again for future projects."

Charly Verheyden, Managing Director of Lamifil, commented, "After two years of study and preparation, we are very pleased with the successful completion of this first project for Elia. We are optimistic about the prospects for the use of ACCC® conductors in Europe, and we look forward to continued cooperation with Elia and Fabricom."

John Brewster, President of CTC Cable, commented, "We are very pleased to have our advanced conductor in an operating line in Belgium, and look forward to expanding the market there and in the rest of Europe. We are confident that awareness of the economic and performance advantages of this installation will spread throughout the area and we look forward to collaborating with all of the excellent companies involved on solutions for additional transmission projects."

 

Source: Composite Technologies