Optimized Transmission Design – 69kV Through 138kV
Key Highlights
- Covered conductor systems reduce right-of-way width and maintenance costs while improving voltage regulation and reliability.
- Hendrix Spacer Cable is designed for 69kV through 138kV, supporting efficient high-voltage transmission with durable, UV-resistant materials.
- The compact design allows installation within existing distribution corridors, significantly shortening project timelines from over a decade to just 2-3 years.
- Tighter phase spacing enabled by covered conductors results in lower pole heights and a smaller line profile, optimizing space and reducing visual impact.
- Global adoption of these systems demonstrates their proven effectiveness in diverse environments and their role in modernizing transmission infrastructure.
The use of covered conductor systems at transmission voltages is driven by many of the same benefits seen at distribution levels: minimizing right-of-way (ROW) width and clearing, adding circuits within existing corridors, improving voltage regulation, enhancing reliability, reducing tree trimming and maintenance costs, and supporting environmental stewardship.
The first aerial covered conductor line was installed in Massachusetts in 1951. More than 70 years later, these systems are in service across all 50 U.S. states and territories, on every continent, and in more than 75 countries.
Hendrix Aerial Spacer Cable is designed for 69kV through 138kV transmission voltages. Spacers, mounted on a messenger wire, support and isolate the phase conductors. The 69kV spacer uses a diamond configuration, while the 115kV and 138kV designs feature a metal suspension clamp that fastens to the messenger and pivots to allow the spacer to hang vertically.
Hendrix Spacer Insulators are molded from a proprietary gray, track-resistant, UV-resistant, high-density polyethylene material, ensuring durability and long service life.
Expanding Existing Rights-of-Way
Establishing a new ROW can be a lengthy and costly process—often taking 7 to 13 years and requiring feasibility studies, permitting, easement purchases, surveys, land clearing, procurement, and construction. Transmission systems also demand more space than distribution lines, which can necessitate ROW expansion when upgrading existing corridors.
Hendrix Aerial Spacer Cable addresses these challenges. Its compact design significantly reduces the required ROW, allowing new transmission lines to be built within existing distribution corridors. This eliminates much of the permitting and land acquisition process, accelerating project timelines to just 2 to 3 years.
Horizontal and Vertical Reductions
In addition to ROW savings, Hendrix Spacer Cable provides reductions in pole height compared to conventional vertical bare wire designs. This is possible because covered conductors allow phase spacing to be much tighter, producing a smaller and more efficient line profile.
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