Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) has selected TS Conductor’s Aluminum Encapsulated Carbon Core (AECC) conductors for an upcoming grid modernization project in the Nalagarh region of India.

The commercial order was awarded through TS Conductor’s regional stranding partner, Laser Power & Infra. The turnkey reconductoring project will replace existing aluminum conductor steel-reinforced (ACSR) conductors on several medium-voltage 11-kV feeder circuits and three-phase lines serving 11/0.4-kV distribution transformers.

According to TS Conductor, the project is intended to increase capacity and improve power supply reliability without requiring right-of-way expansion or civil redesigns.

AECC uses a pre-tensioned carbon fiber composite core encapsulated in an aluminum sleeve. TS Conductor says the design protects the core from physical and environmental degradation while allowing the conductor to be installed using standard field practices and conventional hardware.

The company says AECC can provide two to three times the capacity of traditional conductors while maintaining low thermal sag. TS Conductor also says the technology can reduce line losses by up to 50%.

The HPSEBL project follows TS Conductor’s expansion of its manufacturing and commercial presence in India. Through its partnership with Laser Power, TS manufactures and ships its pre-tensioned encapsulated carbon fiber composite core technology to India, where the manufacturing process is completed.

TS Conductor has also established partnerships with other Indian manufacturers and is pursuing applications including long-span transmission projects and infrastructure supporting data centers, according to the company.

Diamond Power Infrastructure Limited is pursuing transmission projects with Power Grid Corporation of India (POWERGRID), including long-span applications where the company says AECC’s strength-to-weight characteristics could provide advantages. TS Conductor and Diamond Power are also exploring applications for supplying high-density power to data centers.

Universal Cables is undergoing type testing for AECC conductors and is expected to deploy the technology in turnkey extra-high-voltage underground cable projects, TS Conductor said.

The HPSEBL project represents an application of advanced conductors for reconductoring existing infrastructure, allowing utilities to increase the capacity of existing corridors without expanding rights of way.