Electric Co-op Today

Georgia Transmission Corp., which builds and maintains high-voltage transmission on behalf of most of the state’s electric co-ops, has finished construction of a 39-mile, 500-kilovolt line connecting two substations.

A 40-mile, 500-kilovolt line recently completed by Georgia Transmission Corp. features its new Delta Cat design. (Photo By: Georgia Transmission Corp.)

The project is the first of its size GTC has completed in more than 20 years and will be energized in the summer of 2010, the Tucker-based transmission co-op reported.

The $48 million line is the first to employ a new design, Delta Cat, which has a narrower footprint and better access for maintenance than the designs now in use, as well as improved shields to guard against outages stemming from bird contamination.

Not to mention a certain feline appearance, right down (or up) to what look like a pair of pointy ears.

The project used more than 366 miles of wire spanning 158 latticed steel structures averaging 140 feet in height.

The line crosses parts of four counties. Planners held 20 meetings with key stakeholders and the public prior to final route selection. Jeannine Rispin Haynes, Georgia Transmission’s senior public relations representative, termed local communities’ input and cooperation “crucial to completing the project on time.”

The new line is the first of a series, and GTC has obtained the approval of its IOU counterpart, Georgia Power, to make Delta Cat the standard design on the four others planned to gird the grid against outages, as well as for future 500-kV towers.

“Georgia’s energy demand has nearly doubled since 1990 due to growth in population and per-capita energy use,” said John Raese, Georgia Transmission’s vice president of project services.

“By fortifying the power grid, Georgia’s utilities are protecting all Georgians from increased outages and a greater risk of blackouts.”

Tags: Electric Grid, Investor-Owned Utility, Power Lines, Transmission and Distribution