Advanced Power Transmission Technologies Increase Capacity, Expand Distribution Network in Asia

June 1, 2020 /3BL Media/ - Asia is upgrading its power grid progressively to meet increased energy demand and expand its distribution network. Core investment areas in the region include grid reliability and renewable energy integration.

One strategy Asia is assessing to improve transmission capacity and grid reliability is advanced transmission technologies that promote efficient interconnection and sustainability. To enhance Asia’s energy transition, Black & Veatch is extending its Breakthrough Overhead Line Design ® (BOLD) consultancy services to India, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Black & Veatch is the exclusive design consultant of BOLD®’s innovative transmission line technology in Asia.

“Existing transmission corridors, or Right-of-Way (ROW), are crowded and restrict expansion possibilities. Asian utilities are finding it increasingly difficult to acquire new ROWs for transmission lines, especially within urban areas. The opportunity is in optimizing the use of ROWs to increase power capacity to meet consumer needs, while allowing for integration of renewable energy. Combining BOLD’s advanced transmission line design with Black & Veatch’s proven engineering and deployment expertise is one way to realize this opportunity,” said Narsingh Chaudhary, Black & Veatch's Executive Vice President & Managing Director, Asia Power Business.

BOLD® structures and specifications have the potential to provide higher power delivery capacity, allowing more power to be transmitted and delivered while mitigating community impacts through lowered structure heights and reduced footprint over traditional approaches. That means less land is needed to fulfill capacity needs.

The BOLD® proprietary design technology uses a single, arched cross-arm to hold two circuits, a compact circuit arrangement and a unique insulator assembly allow for a lower profile that can ease siting and land acquisition processes. The design can maximize existing ROWs by replacing old transmission lines with smaller-footprint, higher-capacity BOLD® lines.

BOLD® structures can also reduce the total width required for a new corridor. A 150’ ROW with BOLD® structures can deliver almost 2000 megawatts (MW), while a typical configuration would require as much as 450’ of ROW to carry a similar capacity of power.

Relative to conventional 345-kilovolt (kV) power lines, BOLD can provide up to 60 percent greater power-carrying capacity, potentially lowers line losses by as much as 33 percent, and reduces structure height by up to 30 percent. The design’s use of a compact delta phase bundle arrangement has demonstrated the capability to reduce ground-level magnetic fields by up to 50 percent. One BOLD® 345kV double-circuit line can deliver the same power carrying capacity as three traditional 345kV single-circuit lines.

BOLD® technology also minimizes complexity and cost of compensation and brings new and replacement circuits into service more rapidly.

“Power transmission technologies are a core pillar of Asia’s integrated power infrastructure strategy,” said Chaudhary. “An integrated power infrastructure takes advantage of different generation, transmission and distribution technologies to help utilities overcome the pitfalls of aging infrastructure assets while meeting rising customer demand for energy that is renewable and reliable.”

A market leader in power transmission and distribution infrastructure, Black & Veatch offers a full range of service from consulting, engineering, to full Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) including monitoring and maintenance system, with the ability to integrate renewable energy solutions to meet clients’ needs in transmission and distribution network stability and reliability.

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