Transmission cable · Georgia
We buy 115 kV cable and transition packages
At 115 kV, cable exists to solve a short problem: a line that has to pass under something, or a GIS hall that has to connect to an overhead line. What reaches a buying desk is usually a transition package rather than a reel of transmission cable.
- GIS ties
- Short transitions
- Bonded sheath
01Overview
What this page covers
Most 115 kV line in Georgia is overhead. Cable appears where the overhead route cannot go: under a runway, through a congested station, into a gas-insulated switchgear building, or beneath a river crossing shared with a pipeline. Those runs are measured in hundreds of feet, and they carry the most expensive accessories on the system.
A 115 kV lot therefore looks different from a distribution lot. It is a small number of reels with a large accessory count, and often a bonding scheme that only makes sense with the station drawing. The cable and its termination are designed as one assembly, and they are reviewed that way.
02Specification
What a 115 kV transition package contains
- Voltage class
- 115 kV, 100% insulation level
- Insulation
- XLPE with bonded semicon screens, nominal wall about 0.6 in.
- Conductor
- 750 kcmil to 2,000 kcmil, compact or segmental, copper or aluminum
- Metallic sheath
- Corrugated aluminum or lead, bonded; HDPE jacket over it
- Bonding
- Both-end bonded, single-point or cross-bonded, with sheath voltage limiters
- Terminations
- SF6 GIS cable terminators at one end; composite outdoor at the other
- Reels
- 84 in. to 108 in.; runs commonly 300 to 1,500 ft
- Condition
- New surplus, canceled project, service-aged, sheath damaged
Ask for the bonding drawing with the reel. Without it, the sheath voltage limiters and link boxes cannot be matched to the cable, and the package loses most of its value.
03Cable and accessories we buy
Cable and accessories we buy
XLPE cable with a bonded metallic sheath
Cross-linked polyethylene insulation with a corrugated aluminum or lead sheath that is bonded to the insulation screen. The sheath carries the charging current and fault current, and it is the part that corrodes when a jacket is damaged in a duct.
GIS cable terminators
Factory or field assembled terminations that present the cable end as a cone into SF6 switchgear. They are built to tight tolerances, they are intolerant of contamination, and a used one is usually dismantled for parts rather than re-used.
Outdoor composite terminations
The overhead end of the transition, on a structure or a riser pole. Porcelain and composite housings are both common, and the shed profile and creepage are set by the site's contamination level.
Link boxes, voltage limiters and grounding kits
Sheath bonding hardware, cross-bonding link boxes and sheath voltage limiters. Small, light, expensive, and the first thing lost when a package is broken up for storage.
04Evaluation
How a transition package is reviewed
Documents first: the reel tag, the factory routine test record and the bonding drawing. A 115 kV cable is proof-tested before it leaves the factory, and that record is the difference between a length of cable and a tested article. Without it the review assumes the cable has to be tested again before it can go back into service.
Sheath and jacket condition next. The metallic sheath is the moisture barrier and the return path, and a jacket that was scraped in a duct lets water reach the sheath. Look at the ends, at the pulling eye and at any point where the reel was handled roughly, because that is where a sheath fault starts.
Then the accessories, counted and inspected against the packing list. A GIS terminator that has been stored open, a link box with a cracked housing or a missing set of limiters changes the review more than a few hundred feet of cable. Confirm what is in the crates before the lot is described.
SF6 is the hazard that distinguishes this class. It is an asphyxiant in a confined space, and after arcing inside the equipment it contains decomposition products that are toxic and corrosive. Gas from a GIS compartment is never vented into a building, and cable ends removed from a GIS are handled with the gas system isolated and the compartment purged by the owner.
05Seller terms
Before you sell: how it works
Four things a seller should be able to pin down before a truck is booked.
Verification
Footage is checked against the reel tag, the sequential marks on the jacket, the wrap count against the barrel, or a published weight per 1,000 ft — whichever the reel actually supports.
Payment
Payment method and timing are agreed in writing for the specific lot before anything is loaded or moved. No verbal number is treated as an agreement.
Paperwork
A bill of sale for the lot, and for utility material the owning utility’s release reference. Neither is optional and neither is created after the fact.
Freight
Collection is arranged as part of the terms. Say what can lift the reels and whether a 53-foot trailer can reach them, and the pickup is planned around that.
Sending a reel list and photographs costs nothing. A review is not a purchase, and nothing is bought, moved or scheduled until written lot terms are agreed for that material. Request a pickup when the lot is ready.
06Related
Related material
07Questions
115 kV cable questions
Why is 115 kV cable so short compared with the overhead line?
Because it is used only where overhead is impossible. A crossing or a station tie is hundreds of feet, not miles, and the route is usually dictated by the obstruction.
Can a used GIS termination be re-used?
Rarely as a complete assembly. The cone and the stress relief depend on factory tolerances once assembled, and a terminator that has been opened is normally dismantled for hardware.
What does single-point bonding mean for a buyer?
It means the sheath is grounded at one end and limited at the other, so the cable and its limiters are a matched set. Removing the limiters from a single-point bonded system leaves hardware that does not work with the cable.
Is a factory test record essential?
It is the most useful document in the package. It shows the cable passed a routine test at the works, which is the basis for deciding whether it can be re-used without a new test.
Send the tag, the test record and the packing list
Reel serial, test record and an accessory list decide most of a 115 kV review before anyone sees the yard.