Optimizing your aerial transmission network

through high-performance cabling solutions

With electrical power consump-tion growing annually approxi-mately 3.5% worldwide, utilitiesand Transmission SystemOperators (TSOs) are facedwith increasing congestionmanagement, overloading,bottlenecks, and even costlyblackouts. Moreover, additionalpower generation (like wind-farms) are further strainingavailable network links. It is therefore becoming essentialto upgrade the existing networkwith optimized solutionsand/or to expand it with newlines to improve the reliabilityof the grid while respecting the design criteria and assuringsustainable energy supply far into the future.

Refurbishment and upgradeof existing linesSince the objective is to increasecapacity and transmission network reliability at reasonablecost, transmission plannerswant to re-use existing towersand installations to save time,and avoid very long right-of-wayauthorizations. Therefore, to domore with the same structuresmeans that you have to replacelines with new conductors thatcan deliver higher ampacity,operate safely at higher tempe-ratures, without straining towersand pylons, or generatingdangerous sag. Moreover,real-time monitoring systems,installed directly on the linesare a good solution to furtherimprove the operating capacityand reliability of the network.

New lines and interconnectionsTo achieve higher capacity withreduced capital investment, it is now feasible to use fewertowers and longer conductorspans. This means incorporatingthe latest generation of carboncore conductors which arelighter and offer highermechanical strength. These new conductors can alsobe designed to operate at highertemperatures, thus allowingtemporary or permanentincreases in capacity, andstrengthening the reliabilityof the network.

What you expect from a cable expert:

• Global solutions to assure a long life cycle and easyupgrades

• Engineering support in networkdesign, conductor type andline monitoring

• Wide range of fully-testedconductors, fittings andhardware for safe operations

• Integration of solutions for a secure and reliable“meshed” grid

• World references for opti-mized power line projects

Secure power transmission depends on…

…integrated solutions for high capacity and reliability

Nexans does more than just sellbare conductors to connect twopoints for aerial transmission;it offers highly integrated solutions that optimize yourpower network for years tocome, while assuring its evolution to meet the growingenergy needs of your customers.

Phase 1. Our enriched offerbegins with preliminary studieswhich take into account funda-mental parameters, like designedcapacity, environmental limita-tions, system losses, operatingand maintenance costs, reliabilityand upgradeability to determinea target network configuration.

Phase 2. For upgrading,uprating and creating new networks, Nexans recommendsthe use of high-end technologieswhich add value for the customerby offering a wide choice ofenhanced conductors, incorpo-rating special alloys or compositematerials and with designs that allow:• improved capacity

and less energy loss

• improved capacity and lower sag

• fewer towers, and longer distances between them

Phase 3. All solutions are vali-dated with worldwide hardwareand fittings manufacturersand standards, and come withpre-tested and adapted acces-sories, and detailed stringingand laying instructions. We can even propose stringingor laying supervision with localor international partners.

Phase 4. On existing lines forupgrades or for new installedlines, our CAT-1 TransmissionLine Monitoring System providesreal-time monitoring of the actualcapabilities of the overheadtransmission lines by measuringmechanical tension at thedead-ends of the conductorand local weather parameters,and feeding the information onadditional capacity and timeuntil maximum sag is reachedback to your Network ControlCenter for increased efficiency,safety and reliability.

Phase 5. As an environmentallyresponsible company(ISO14001), we can alsomanage the recycling of oldconductors by removing old lines when our high-endtechnologies are installed.

Phase 6. Nexans continues to safeguard your future by ongoing innovation in overhead design, and providinga continuous supply of productsfrom our plants around the world, and contributingwith our monitoring systems to obtain the best operationalresults for your network.

From advanced conductors…

ACSR: Aluminum ConductorSteel ReinforcedA conductor with a steel coreand outer layers of pure aluminum; widely used, this conductor assures reliable,and durable performance.Nexans has provided thisconductor to many operatorsin countries with long distancesto cover, like in North America,South America and South-EastAsia.

ACAR: AluminumConductor AluminumReinforcedA customized conductor withan aluminum alloy core and anouter layer of pure aluminum,it offers high ampacity (i.e. current rating). However, its lower mechanicalstrength does not allow it to be unduly stretched.ACAR is much appreciated in parts of South Americawhere there are no snow/ice or violent storms to cause dangerous sagging or line tension.

AAAC: All Aluminum Alloy ConductorsBy replacing both steel coreand outer layers of pure aluminum with aluminumalloys, this conductor is strongerthan conventional ACSR, andmore resistant to corrosion.Developed in Europe, and widely used in Belgiumand France, these conductorsare also deployed in manyAfrican countries, like Algeria,Congo and Niger.

ACCC: AluminumConductor Composite CoreAn innovative lighter conductorwith a core made of carbonfibers embedded in an epoxymatrix and outer layers madeof annealed aluminum or aluminum alloy. This conductorhas high tensile strength and low linear expansion with extremely low sag and no corrosion. Its high breaking load allowslonger spans between pylons.Particularly suited for river-crossing and to decrease the number of towers on longtransmission lines. A state-of-the-art conductor,this composite system allowsfor spans of up to 2.5 km,reducing the number of pylonsin the landscape and significantlylowering the height (and cost)of towers when spanningbroad rivers.

Nexans advanced Aero-Z® designFor all the foregoing conductors,in addition to the conventionaldesign with round wires, Nexanscan also supply a compactdesign with Z-shaped interlockingwires. It reduces drag (i.e. pressure on lines due to strong winds), minimizes “galloping,” lowers corrosionand snow accretion, and raisesampacity by 10% in an equiva-lent diameter, or reduces Joulelosses by 15% at the sameampacity. Aero-Z® has equivalentaccessories, and can be installedin the same way and with thesame equipment as conventionalconductors. An African premiere: Nexansinstalled 132 kV AAAC Aero-Zconductors on a 264-km-longline between Nigeria and Niger.Combined with capacitivecompensation, this allows a total increase of electricalcapacity by 75% between thetwo countries. Nearly 900 kmof the same conductor werealso recently installed in Peru to resolve corrosion and coronaloss issues.

CONVENTIONAL CONDUCTORS WITH DESIGNTEMPERATURE UP TO 90°C

ACSR: AluminumConductor Steel

Reinforced

ACon

TACSR: ThermalAluminum Conductor

Steel Reinforced

STACAlu

I

ACAR: Aluminumnductor Aluminum

Reinforced

AAAC: All Aluminum Alloy Conductors

ACCC: Aluminum Conductor

Composite Core

Nexans advanced Aero-Z® design

(conventional conductors)

CIR: Super Thermaluminum ConductorInvar Reinforced

ACSS: AluminumConductor Steel

Supported

T-ACCC: AluminumConductor Composite

Core

Nexans advanced Aero-Z® design

(high-capacity conductors)

Pre-tested fittings and accessories

Secure Cat-1 line monitoring

…to accessories, fittings and monitoring systems

TACSR: Thermal AluminumConductor Steel ReinforcedBy being able to operate at temperatures up to 150°C,this aluminum-zirconium alloyconductor with steel coresmakes lines more secure bysignificantly increasing capacityon overhead lines.Since 2003, Nexans has supplied some 600 km of 230 kV TACSR conductor to South Brazilian utilities, reinforcing their grid’s reliabilityand security.

STACIR: Super ThermalAluminum ConductorInvar ReinforcedThis low sag conductor incorpo-rates a strong Invar steel coreand ZTAL aluminum-zirconiumalloy in its outer layer whichcan handle temperatures of up to 210°C.With over 10 years of experiencein this type of alloy design,Nexans has sold over 800 kmof STACIR conductors in Korea,where low sags are often mandatory in densely populatedareas, for security reasons.

ACSS: Aluminum ConductorSteel SupportedWith a core of high tensilestrength, protected with acoating of zinc-5% aluminum(Mischmetal), and an outer layerof annealed aluminum or alumi-

num alloy compact wires, thisconductor offers low sag, evenwhen operating at up to 250°C.Nexans has provided hundredsof kilometers of various cross-sections of ACSS to Europeanand North-American Transmis-sion System Operators (TSOs)to increase the reliability andthe security of refurbished lines.

T-ACCC: AluminumConductor Composite CoreAn innovative lighter conductor,with outer layers in aluminumor aluminum alloy, usuallyusing outer compact design. It has high tensile strength, low linear expansion coefficientcarbon fibers in epoxy matrixas its cores, which can withstandtemperatures up to 200°C withextremely low sag and no corrosion, and high breakingload (i.e. longer spans betweendistant pylons). ACCC is aunique, high-value replacementfor any overhead conductor.A state-of-the-art conductor,this composite system allowsfor spans of up to 2.5 km,reducing the number of pylonsin the landscape and significantlylowering the height (and cost)of towers when spanning broadrivers. Under overloadedconditions, it allows more reliability and security (low sag).

Nexans advanced Aero-Z® design The compact Z-shaped wiredesign can also be applied to all the above high-capacityconductors.

FITTINGS

Pre-tested fittings and accessoriesBecause conductors andaccessories must work perfectlytogether to deliver line securityand grid reliability, Nexanschecks, tests and certifiesaccessory suppliers accordingto international standards andto our own rigorous specifica-tions. Our compatibility testscover joints and tension sets(dead end clamps, joints sleeves,pulling sleeves), suspensionclamps, shunts, spacers, repairarmor rods, and aeolian vibration damping systems).

MONITORING SYSTEMS

Secure Cat-1 line monitoringCAT-1 real-time TransmissionLine Monitoring systems canbe very quickly installed onexisting or new lines. Theymeasure ambient weatherparameters and collect mechan-ical line-tension information.This vital information is thencomputed and forwarded in realtime to the operator’s ControlSystem (SCADA), indicating theactual additional availablecapacity and sag that the linecan safely accept within theconductor’s design tempera-ture. By providing advancedwarnings when approachinglimit conditions, CAT-1 helps to increase the reliability ofnetwork and gives informationto quickly react and avoid severeproblems.Over 300 CAT-1 systems havealready been deployed in theNorth American and Europeantransmission grids to provideinformation on conductorbehavior and improve thereliability and the capacity of the grids.

HIGH-CAPACITY CONDUCTORS WITH DESIGNTEMPERATURE UP TO 250°C

Global expertiseBy paying close attention to the actual needs of EnergyTransmission System Operators,Nexans has striven to improvenetwork capacity, security, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.Our integrated overhead solutions add value to today’sand tomorrow’s energy networks.

Local presenceNot only do we have a manu-facturing, distribution andcommercial presence aroundthe world, we have long-estab-lished contacts with TransmissionOperators, allowing us to better understand and tailor our aerial solutions to localneeds. Also, we can provideglobal solutions with local or international contractors for installation whom we vigorously support, or vianational and internationalenergy consortiums.

Technical leadershipWhether it is conductor types using new alloys andhigh-performance designs, or advanced services and software, we have continued to improve overhead technologies. Our combinedexpertise in underground andundersea cable technologiesmeans that we can supply a complete energy networkpackage and provide customizedcombinations of aerial, underground and submarinelinks to optimize the transmissionand the distribution energy grids.

SERVICES to meetyour overheadpower goals

INNOVATION is at the core of our overhead lines

Nexans has engineers and technicians working in energy transmission and distributionin both our research center in Lyon (France) and in our Metallurgy Center in Lens (France).They draw on the collective knowledge of the 600 researchers and engineers group wide.Our metallurgy experts are continuing to experiment with new, cheaper and more efficientalloys. Nexans constantly adds value to conductors in terms of technical know-how andelectrical engineering, while supporting complete networks from design, line management,to fully integrated accessories.

Nexans S.A. - 16 rue de Monceau - 75008 Paris - FranceTel: +33 (0)1 56 69 84 00 - Fax: +33 (0)1 56 69 84 84 - www.nexans.com

marcom.info@nexans.com

With energy as the basis of its development, Nexans,the worldwide leader in the cable industry, offers anextensive range of cables and cabling systems. TheGroup is a global player in the infrastructure, industrybuilding and Local Area Network markets. Nexansaddresses a series of market segments: from energy,transport and telecom networks to shipbuilding, oil & gas,nuclear power, automotives, electronics, aeronautics,material handling and automation.With an industrial presence in more than 30 countriesand commercial activities worldwide, Nexans employs22,000 people and had sales in 2007 of 7.4 billioneuros. Nexans is listed on Euronext Paris, compartment A.

09/2

008

Cre

dits

: ©

Get

ty Im

ages

- D

igita

l Vis

ion

- N

exan

s -

No

men

tion

is m

ade

of r

ight

s w

ith r

espe

ct to

trad

emar

ks,

serv

ice

mar

ks o

r tra

de n

ames

whe

ther

reg

iste

red

or n

ot,

whi

ch m

ay a

ttach

to c

erta

in w

ords

or

sign

s us

ed h

erei

n. T

he a

bsen

ce o

f suc

h m

entio

n, h

owev

er,

in n

o w

ay im

plie

s th

at th

ere

is n

o pr

otec

tion

of th

ese

mar

ks,

trade

nam

es,

wor

ds o

r si

gns.