ACCC® Conductor

Leverage advanced conductors to improve the capacity, efficiency, reliability, and resilience of the electric power grid.

Powering the Future of Utilities Today

Growing demand for clean, reliable, and affordable electricity, combined with shifts in generation assets and policies, is placing tremendous strain on the grid and creating challenges for T&D engineers, sustainability leaders, and utility managers.

The ACCC® SOLUTION

Proven at more than 1,250 projects in over 60 countries, the ACCC® Conductor offers:  

  • Higher Capacity 2X the capacity of conventional conductors mitigates bottlenecks and provides a no-regrets path to future-proof the grid 
  • Improved Efficiency Reduces line losses under any load condition, lowers utility and consumer costs, and decreases GHG/CO2 emissions 
  • Enhanced Reliability & Resilience The ACCC® Conductor’s high strength, low-sag and superior core technology offers long term performance 
  • Reduced Project Costs & TimeframesUsed in new lines or reconductor projects, the ACCC® Conductor quickly delivers the greatest amount of electricity at the lowest capital cost

ACCC® CONDUCTOR BENEFITS

The ACCC® Conductor’s lightweight composite core enables the incorporation of nearly 30% more aluminum without a weight or diameter penalty (using compact trapezoidal strands) in any conductor size. Its low coefficient of thermal expansion core also mitigates thermal sag under highly loaded conditions to deliver the greatest amount of power with the lowest electrical line losses.

While the ACCC® Conductor’s increased capacity is helping future-proof new transmission lines, its greater capacity has also helped increase the capacity of existing power lines through reconductoring. This process allows linemen to quickly and economically replace the older wire with a new ACCC® Conductor to double the line’s capacity without the need to modify or replace existing structures.

The ACCC® Conductor’s high capacity has helped utilities access and deliver the cleanest and lowest-cost energy to its customers, supporting economic development and improving the quality of life for tens of millions of people.

For over 20 years, CTC Global has continued raising the conductor efficiency bar while supporting our customer’s goals to build the most advanced and efficient electric power grid that best serves their customers and stakeholders.

The ACCC® Conductor reduces electrical power line losses by up to 40% or more, which decreases fuel consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions. It also improves overall project economics for new lines, rebuild projects, or reconductoring projects while freeing up generation assets previously wasted to line losses. In many cases, reduced line losses can also reduce water consumed at thermal power plants.

Thus far, the ACCC® Conductor’s improved efficiency has cumulatively saved an estimated 23 million metric tons of CO2 and reduced water consumption by approximately 124 billion gallons— enough water to fill 190,000 Olympic size pools.

Reliability and conductor performance are critical to grid operators around the world. Sagging lines can cause sag trip outages, economically devastating blackouts, and jeopardize human life and property. The ACCC® Conductor offers a new level of performance and unprecedented reliability. 

Using a high-strength, low-sag composite core, The ACCC® Conductor helps utilities avoid sag-trip outages and reduce the risk of powerline-related wildfires. It is also resistant to corrosion and cyclic load fatigue, which improves grid reliability and lowers maintenance costs. 

The ACCC® Conductor’s improved efficiency enables utilities worldwide to conserve fuel and generation resources, which can be deployed during emergency conditions. At the same time, its higher capacity allows utilities to redirect power when adjacent lines are taken out of service during foreseen and unforeseen circumstances. 

At CTC Global, we take pride in helping more than 250 major utilities and industrial customers improve the reliability of the electric power grid in more than 60 countries.

As the frequency and severity of weather-related events continue to take their toll on the electric power grid, many utilities are working hard to improve grid resilience. Using the ACCC® Conductor helps harden the grid to resist damage, making it more resilient and faster to get back in service after an extreme event occurs. The ACCC® Conductor’s composite core is twice as strong as steel and its improved toughness has proven itself time and time again.

For example, an EF5 tornado in Moore, Oklahoma damaged the ACCC® Conductor’s aluminum strands, but the core stayed intact, allowing linemen to quickly splice in a new section. In another instance, a wildfire burnt down wood H-frame structures dropping the ACCC® Conductor to the ground. Fortunately, the ACCC® Conductor was undamaged. After the H-frame structures were replaced, the line was quickly returned to service.

While the goal of CTC Global’s ACCC® Conductor has always been to improve the efficiency, capacity, reliability and resilience of the electric power grid, its ability to reduce fuel consumption and associated emissions is also helping many international utilities and project financiers to achieve their sustainability goals. 

Not only does the ACCC® Conductor connect new renewable generation assets and upgrade the existing grid to handle the added capacity, it simultaneously reduces line losses and associated GHG emissions from conventional fossil fuel generation assets. This makes a significant environmental impact and paves the way for a greener energy landscape. 

Delivering more power from more renewable assets efficiently is not only a logical choice but a necessary one, and CTC Global is very proud to be able to continue to support these important initiatives.

The ACCC® Conductor is a high-capacity, energy-efficient solution that offers multiple cost-saving benefits for consumers and utilities. For new transmission projects, the ACCC® Conductor’s strength and reduced sag allow for greater distances between structures, resulting in lower overall costs, reduced environmental impact, and shorter construction timeframes.

By using the ACCC® Conductor to reconductor existing transmission lines, capacity can be doubled without the need to modify or replace existing structures. This eliminates the need for costly new right-of-ways, reduces permitting expenses and construction time, and frees up equipment and personnel.

The ACCC® Conductor’s increased capacity enables utilities to access and deliver cheaper and cleaner sources of generation, while also reducing grid congestion. Additionally, its improved efficiency reduces line losses by 25 to 40 percent or more, leading to lower generation costs, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and lower lifecycle costs. Overall, the ACCC® Conductor outperforms conventional steel reinforced conductors, allowing utilities to deliver power at significantly lower costs. These benefits are long-lasting and provide lifetime savings.

ACCC® Conductor

ACCC® Conductor

The ACCC® Conductor utilizes a composite carbon and glass fiber core embedded in a high-performance thermoset epoxy matrix, offering the industry's highest strength-to-weight ratio and lowest thermal expansion, approximately ten times less than steel. 

Advantages:

  • Lighter weight ACCC® Core enables ~28% more aluminum content to deliver more power more efficiently – without any weight penalty
  • Reduced thermal sag mitigates sag infractions and operating risks 
  • Superior core technology that resists corrosion and improves longevity 

ACCC® ULS Conductor

The ACCC® ULS Conductor uses a higher strength, higher modulus core (375 ksi) compared to the standard ACCC® Conductor (310 ksi), making it suitable for challenging projects.

Advantages:

  • Greater core strength to accommodate extreme spans 
  • Reduced core elasticity that improves resistance to extreme ice and wind loads 

ACCC® AZR Conductor

The ACCC® AZR Conductor leverages an Aluminum - Zirconium alloy that adds another layer of strength to ACCC® or ACCC® ULS Conductor designs.

Advantages:

  • Higher strength alloy (compared to fully annealed aluminum) that improves overall conductor strength and stiffness
  • Excellent choice for the most demanding applications 

CTC Global’s ACCC® Conductor is the first electric transmission conductor in history to earn SCS certification for CO2 emission reductions resulting from improved energy efficiency. SCS Global Services (SCS) verified that ACCC® Conductors reduce CO2 emissions associated with transmission line losses by 27 to 31 percent under certain design conditions compared to conventional steel-reinforced ACSR conductors, the 100-year old technology currently used in most electric transmission and distribution power lines.

Tobias Schultz, Manager of Corporate Sustainability Services at SCS stated: “SCS Global’s Certification of the ACCC® Conductor creates significant new opportunities for corporate and governmental entities seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for regulatory or voluntary purposes. Certification allows transmission owning electric utilities and developers to evaluate and quantify CO2 emission reductions associated with using ACCC® Conductor in place of less efficient ASCR conductor, and to explore pathways for monetizing those reductions or using them to meet regulatory obligations.”

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