A combination of increased demands on the electricity supply and an aging grid that isn’t constructed to support it has led to a need to upgrade the existing system.
While sometimes there is no other solution than to build new transmission lines there is another way that can allow an increase in the capacity of the existing infrastructure without building new lines from the ground up, reconductoring, which involves replacing the conductors on existing support structures with advanced conductors which can often carry twice the current of traditional cables.
This can save a lot of time compared to building new transmission lines although it can cost 20% more per mile.
There are limitations to this as 98% of the existing transmission lines in North America are candidates for reconductoring.
All this work won’t come without a cost to customers though as typically bills will have to be paid to facilitate this work.
