Helicopter Line Maintainers Step It Up for Safety
Hydro One (and its predecessor Ontario Hydro) has maintained a fleet of helicopters since June 1949, making it one of the oldest commercial helicopter...
Rodeo Strengthens Linemen's Bond
Josh Lira, an apprentice lineman with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local Union 304 (Sedalia, Missouri, U.S.), didn't attend...
The Multifaceted Job of a Rodeo Lineman
Not being a huge utility with virtually unlimited resources, Blue Grass Energy Cooperative requires its linemen to wear many hats. Blue Grass, a Touchstone...
Climbing School Is the Best Fall Protection
As any lineman will tell you, climbing a pole is a unique skill. It's hard to explain the way it feels the first time you try to climb using hooks (gaffs)....
Santee Cooper Monitors Change-Out Rates and Tracks Reliability
The Santee Cooper (Moncks, South Carolina, U.S.) system is made up of approximately 4500 miles (7242 km) of transmission lines and 2500 miles (4023 km)...
The Lowdown on CLP's Power Initiative
Located in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong's subtropical conditions are ideal for fast-growing trees and vegetation, such as Eucalyptus, Casuarina and various...
Heavy Rains Fuel Wildfires
In the summer of 2005, Salt River Project faced a vegetation management challenge on its electric high-voltage transmission lines that it had never dealt with before — a challenge that put the utility well outside the definition of normal line clearance. For nearly a decade, Salt River Project (SRP; Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.) had maintained a successful management program keeping...
Vegetation Management: Working With Contractors
In July 2002, Nashville Electric Service (NES) announced an accelerated vegetation management program designed to reduce the number of power outages that...
Our Industry Responds to Devastation in the Gulf
Transmission & Distribution World has worked closely with our vendor and contractor sponsors to bring you this special issue that focuses exclusively...
When Birds and Power Lines Collide
Birds are a major problem for utilities. They collide with overhead structures and conductors, contaminate insulators and equipment, and damage facilities...
NEPCO's Solution to Insulator Contamination in the Desert
In the early morning hours of Nov. 8, 1998, major tripping started to occur on the 400-kV transmission line routed from Aqaba (a port on the Red Sea in...
