Get plugged into new developments in overhead wood pole systems, including a demonstration of potential issues with powerline interactions, at a two-day conference this summer at Mississippi State University (MSU).
Powerline 2019 is set for June 4-5 on the MSU campus in Starkville, Mississippi. Sponsored by the MSU College of Forest Resources and the North American Wood Pole Council (NAWPC), the conference features a full slate of presentations and education on overhead electricity systems.
The program includes a field visit to the Mississippi State High Voltage Laboratory, the largest university-operated high voltage lab in North America. Demonstrations at the lab will feature what happens when a tree contacts a power line, insulator flashover on crossarms, ground shorts due to animal contact and flashovers caused by lightning strikes.
“There are an estimated 150 million wood utility poles in use in North America,” says Kevin Ragon, executive vice president of NAWPC. “Overhead systems using wood poles are the backbone of our electrical distribution system. This conference will help utility personnel gain insights on new developments and recognized best practices for wood pole overhead systems.”
Reflecting this broad use, conference presentations will explore the unique loading capacities of wood poles, wood pole classes and quality standards, service life and remediation, developments in wood preservatives, analytics for pole system maintenance and emergency preparations for utilities.
Josh Wooten, customer service manager with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), will be the keynote speaker.
The conference is intended for utility personnel who are involved with design, purchasing, installation, management and maintenance of the electrical distribution and transmission systems. Each registered attendee will receive a certificate of completion for 12 hours of instruction, which can be used to qualify for Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits.
Registration is $195 per attendee. Each attendee will receive digital versions of the presentations and NAWPC technical guides. The registration fee includes continental breakfast and lunch for the two days of the conference and for a reception on June. 4. Deadline for registration is Wednesday, May 29.
Attendees can register for the conference online. The conference Web site includes a schedule of confirmed speakers and demonstrations, as well as hotel information.
The North American Wood Pole Council is a federation of three organizations representing the wood preserving industry in the U.S. and Canada. These organizations provide a variety of services to support the use of preservative-treated wood poles to carry power and communications to consumers.
