Captain John Smith navigated the Susquehanna River in 1608. He later remarked about the river that “heaven and earth seemed never to have agreed better to frame a place for man’s commodious and delightful habitation.”
Contractor I.B. Abel Inc. certainly got to witness this “delightful habitation” in its 1.2-mile rebuild project for transmission lines over the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg, Pa. Although the river was not always so cooperative, washing away a portion of the temporary causeway constructed for the project, the team persevered and completed the rebuild with two weeks to spare. Read all about the project in “A Bridge to Cross” by Susan Bloom on page 6.
Katie Kuehner-Hebert discusses one of the safety hazards for transmission and distribution work—windy weather. There are many things to consider when working in such weather, from falling objects to bucket truck wind ratings. Katie also talks to safety experts, who offer tips for keeping everyone safe. “Safe in the Wind” is on page 2.
With changes at the federal and state levels, regulators and contractors have to get creative with meeting the increased demands on the grid without adding as many lines. To combat this, in “Working With What We Have,” Chuck Ross tells us about two new grid-enhancing technologies, one hardware-based and one software, that offer electric grid operators more insight and control over power flow, especially when they are deployed together. You can find it on page 10.
Chuck also discusses data centers and the ongoing struggle to meet the energy demands of these facilities, particularly energyhungry A.I. data centers. The obvious solution seems to be to just build more transmission lines, but those projects face hurdles of their own. Read about these challenges, and why Texas has done some helpful work in building out its infrastructure, in “Along Came Data Centers” on page 14.
We also have an article on the difference between qualified and unqualified workers (and what is needed to become qualified), an interview with a safety expert and tips for reducing the number of serious injuries and fatalities on the job. Safety is always a priority.
We hope you’ve had your own chance to work in a place with “commodious and delightful habitation.” Please tell us all about it at [email protected] and maybe we’ll feature your project in a future issue of LINE CONTRACTOR.
