Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative Installs 3M ACCR to Boost Capacity on Line near San Antonio

Published on Wednesday, 08 February 2012 14:03 Written by TradersHuddle Staff

ST. PAUL, Minn.-( Business Wire )-

Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative (GVEC) in south central Texas has become the nation’s first rural electric cooperative to install the advanced overhead transmission conductor, 3M Aluminum Conductor Composite Reinforced (3M ACCR).

GVEC has deployed the groundbreaking lightweight, low-sag, high-capacity conductor on a transmission line linking the utility’s Schertz and Parkway substations. The conductor increases the line’s capacity by more than 60 percent without GVEC having to enlarge the towers or widen the right of way.

The 2.8-mile, single-circuit 138kV line provides power for the city of Schertz, situated about 20 miles northeast of downtown San Antonio, and is near other communities in Guadalupe and Comal counties. 3M’s high-capacity ACCR conductor replaces a conventional steel core ACSR conductor on this line.

Rene Hernandez, system engineer for GVEC, says the new conductor “was chosen after an extensive review of the transmission load issues and the economics regarding replacement and addition of steel transmission structures. The higher ampacity conductor afforded GVEC the additional capacity needed to meet the planning requirement at a substantial savings to the GVEC membership.”

Founded 73 years ago, GVEC serves some 68,000 residential and commercial meters in a 13-county region comprising about 3,500 square miles. The GVEC Schertz-Parkway line project was carried out in collaboration with the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), which conducted feasibility and design studies, with the support of GVEC staff engineers. Southwestern Power Construction of Bastrop, Texas, conducted the installation project.

3M ACCR, offered by 3M’s Electrical Markets Division, headquartered in Austin, Texas, is now in use by major utilities and municipal power companies throughout the United States, and in Europe, Asia and South America.

The conductor’s lightweight, high-strength and low-sag characteristics enable utilities to increase capacity on transmission lines by up to 100 percent or more while retaining most, or even all, of the line’s existing structures and rights of way. It has become the solution of choice in circumstances where tower enlargement and right-of-way expansion would cause lengthy and expensive logistical or environmental problems, such as over wetlands or river crossings, in densely packed urban areas, or wherever utility line clearance may be an issue.

In the Southwest, for example, Arizona Public Service deployed 3M ACCR for the upgrade of a vital line running through a crowded portion of Phoenix; and the Western Area Power Administration chose the advanced conductor to boost power on its Topock-Davis line running along the Colorado River, to improve service to growing communities in Arizona, California and Nevada.

Paul Steece, vice president and general manager of 3M’s Electrical Markets Division, which is based in Austin, says 3M ACCR’s “growing use by utilities of all sizes, in virtually any type of climate or terrain, demonstrates the extent to which this new but well-proven conductor has become a versatile, reliable, first-choice problem-solver. It is gaining wide recognition as an important tool to help utilities accommodate the complex new demands being placed on electricity grids without encountering costly and problematic construction, right-of-way expansion or permitting issues.”

Introduced for commercial use in 2005, 3M’s innovative conductor was developed with the support of the U.S. Department of Energy, which tested the conductor at its Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee, and with early contributions by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The ORNL tests demonstrated that the conductor retains its integrity after exposure to temperatures even higher than the rated continuous operating temperature of 210 degrees Celsius and the emergency operating temperature of 240 degrees Celsius. The conductor’s strength and durability result from its core, composed of aluminum oxide (alumina) fibers embedded in high-purity aluminum, utilizing a highly specialized and proprietary process. It has the durability and longevity of traditional steel core conductors, even when operated continuously at high temperatures. For over a decade, all U.S and international installations have operated successfully with no failures.

Also, since 3M's ACCR is based on aluminum, it has the corrosion resistance typically associated with aluminum-based conductors.

3M holds several patents on its ACCR technology, which has been recognized by R&D Magazine with an R&D 100 Award as one of the most technologically significant products introduced into the marketplace, and by the Minnesota High Tech Association with a Tekne Award for innovative development.

The 3M Electrical Markets Division, based in Austin, Texas, designs, manufactures and markets products for electrical construction, industrial maintenance, utility and industrial power, and electrical and electronic components. EMD has more than 60 years of experience serving customers with highly reliable products, including electrical and electronic insulating tapes and papers; electromagnetic compatible products; power cable splices and terminations; high-temperature, low-sag transmission conductors; heat shrinkable tubing and molded shapes; electrical wire connectors, terminals, tools and lugs; wire marking products; portable labeling devices; cable ties; and electrical diagnostic and detection products.

More information about the 3M high capacity conductor is available at www.3M.com/accr.

About GVEC

For more than seven decades, GVEC has been an integral part of the Guadalupe Valley communities of south central Texas. As a cooperative, it is owned by and operated for its members - making every effort to contribute to member-owners' quality of life through safety, education, energy-efficiency, community support and economic development. GVEC strives to supply its members with affordable and reliable electric power and progressive services that save both energy and money. The number of GVEC members has grown to approximately 54,000 and continues to steadily expand. Learn more at www.gvec.org or plug into GVEC on Facebook or GVEC_Tweets on Twitter.

About 3M

3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Our culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With $27 billion in sales, 3M employs about 80,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 65 countries. For more information, visit www.3M.com or follow @3MNews on Twitter.

3M is a trademark of 3M Company.

3M Public RelationsColleen Horn Harris, 651-733-1566orLVM Group Inc.Bob Rumerman, 212-499-6567bob@lvmgroup.comorRachel Antman, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.