The design and application of optical cables into overhead lines up to 150 kV

The authors briefly review optical communication technology which has possible application areas within the electricity supply industry. There is a growing demand for optical cables to be incorporated in new lines and also a requirement for their addition on existing lines. The accumulated experience of the last decade has shown that, because of their interference free operation and the availability of all dielectric cables, optical fibre telecommunications systems are uniquely suited to power system use. Significant advances in design and installation techniques are described, and experimental and operational results are presented