Modern transmission-line maintenance

The major postwar developments in the British overhead-transmission-line system consisted of the superposition of first 275kV lines, and secondly 400kV lines, on the original 132kV Grid system. The original lines were constructed with men or horses to tension conductors, and maintenance largely used manual tools. Today, highly specialised power-tensioning equipment is evolving, faults are electronically located, powerline patrol by helicopter is a regular procedure, and maintenance teams are in contact with each other and the system control by radio. Work is now being carried out on 275kV Grid lines in Scotland with all conductors alive. Many serious new mechanical problems are, however, still arising, even on the latest lines, and these are described, as are some of the means by which they are being overcome.