TS Conductor to Pursue First Kinectrics Certification for Composite-Core HTLS Conductors

TS Conductor will be the first manufacturer to enter a newly launched certification program from Kinectrics for composite-core, high-temperature low-sag (HTLS) overhead conductors — a move that could signal a shift toward more standardized third-party validation of advanced transmission technologies.

The company said its aluminum encapsulated carbon core (AECC) conductor and its Huntington Beach, California, manufacturing facility will undergo the certification process, which includes both design verification and ongoing factory audits. The program is designed to confirm compliance with ASTM B987 and IEC 62818-1 standards, covering North American and international markets.

Kinectrics, which provides testing, inspection and lifecycle management services to the electricity sector, recently introduced the certification as a formal pathway for evaluating modern HTLS conductors that use composite cores rather than traditional steel cores. While advanced conductors have been deployed for years, certification has typically been project-specific, with utilities requiring individual type testing before procurement.

Under the new framework, manufacturers can pursue broader certification that verifies both product performance and production consistency. The program includes recurring audits intended to ensure continued compliance with industry standards.

HTLS composite-core conductors are designed to operate at higher temperatures with reduced sag, allowing utilities to increase ampacity on existing rights-of-way — a strategy increasingly used to relieve transmission congestion and accelerate renewable interconnections.

TS Conductor said its AECC product has previously undergone endurance testing through the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), ANSI current cycle testing, sequential mechanical testing by American Electric Power (AEP), long-term thermal aging evaluations, and ASTM and IEC type testing, among other validation efforts. The technology has also been independently evaluated by European utilities, including divisions of Enel in Italy and Spain.

Utilities that have deployed the company’s conductors include Arizona Public Service, Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Montana-Dakota Utilities, NextEra Energy, Salt River Project and Tennessee Valley Authority in the United States, as well as Electricity Supply Board and Vietnam Electricity internationally.

Zsolt Peter, vice president of line asset management at Kinectrics, said the certification program builds on prior laboratory testing conducted with manufacturers for individual projects.

For utilities, the broader implication may be procurement efficiency. Third-party certification with ongoing oversight could reduce the need for repetitive qualification testing, while providing greater assurance of manufacturing consistency, factors that become increasingly important as grid owners look to scale transmission upgrades to meet rising load growth and generation interconnection demands.