Electric Transmission

PG&E plans to move power lines underground along Highway 89 in California

(UI) — In the upcoming months, the Plumas County power lines on Highway 89 between Moccasin and Indian Falls will be relocated underground by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).

Biden-Harris administration awards $930 million for middle-mile infrastructure

(UC) — The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration has announced over $930 million to expand middle mile high-speed Internet infrastructure across 35 states and Puerto Rico.

NextEra Energy subsidiary FPL starts moving power underground in Coral Gables, Fla.

(UI) — More than 100 city officials and employees of Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) gathered in a neighborhood in Coral Gables, Fla., to officially start a long-awaited project: the undergrounding of electricity lines in the area as part of FPL's Storm Safe Underground Program.

Luna Innovations wins fiber optic monitoring system contract for major U.S. clean energy project

Luna’s technology will provide temperature, depth of burial, and acoustic monitoring for the power cables that form the backbone of the system. The monitoring services will help ensure safe, efficient delivery of renewable, reliable, low-cost power over the area’s 300-mile transmission line.

PG&E curtails plan to bury over 3,500 miles of power lines in effort to reduce wildfires

(UI) — In order to reduce the risk of wildfires in the western United States, California-based electric utility and natural gas supplier PG&E Inc. has scaled back its plans to lay over 3,600 miles of power lines underground through 2026. Beginning in June, PG&E will be tried for manslaughter in connection with fire fatalities allegedly resulting from its overhead power lines, which were blamed for the deadliest wildfire in California history in 2018.

Construction of 339-mile power line begins in New York City

Construction has begun on an underground electrical transmission line that will bring Canadian hydropower to New York City as part of an effort to make the Big Apple less reliant on fossil fuels, state officials announced Wednesday.

PG&E moves power underground in plan to bury 10,000 miles

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is working on an ambitious project to bury thousands of miles of power lines in an effort to prevent igniting fires with its equipment and avoid shutting down electricity during hot and windy weather.

Work Begins on New Mexico Transmission Line

Pattern Energy begins work on a wind power transmission line.

Utility & Communications Construction Update

The spread of the coronavirus has upended almost every staple of U.S. life, and businesses have no sense of what the next two weeks, much less the next two months, could look like. With these themes as the backdrop, there are some takeaways we can share for planning the next six months, as we consider both oil and the spread of the coronavirus.

Complicated Cable Boring in Boston Harbor

ECI Drilling International (ECI) recently completed two horizontal directional drilling (HDD) installations in Boston of conduits for cable that replaced old power cable service at an essential wastewater treatment plant. The channel bore also was a step in preparing for construction of major Boston Harbor improvements.

Herrenknecht’s E-Power Pipe Nominated for Major International Award

Herrenknecht was nominated for the bauma Innovation Award 2019 in the “Machine” category. The company’s E-Power Pipe technology is a trenchless method for the economic and environmentally friendly installation of underground cables.

PCCA Looks Forward to Busy 2019

The Power & Communications Contractors Association plans to follow a productive year with a 2019 focus on advocacy, educational initiatives and programs that help its members run more successful businesses.

2018 Drilling Fluids Guide

BENTONITE Baroid Industrial Drilling Products, (281) 871-4613, baroididp.com Aquagel: Premium grade Wyoming sodium bentonite used as viscosifier and filtrate reducer in freshwater drilling fluids. Meets the requirements of API Specification 13A, Section 9. NSF/ANSI Standard 60 certified. Bore-Gel..

Vermeer Introduces MUD Hub Slurry Solidification System

The new Vermeer MUD Hub slurry solidification system helps control the costs, time and complexity of drilling fluid management. Using the Vermeer ST2000 slat tank and the Surface to Surface (STS) FL-243 solidification mixer, MUD Hub helps create stackable material for convenient transfer and disposa..

HDD: DRILLING FLUIDS

Wyo-Ben wyoben.com Wyo-Ben Inc. has responded to increasing regulatory pressure and customer inquiries on the disposal of spent drilling fluids by introducing SOLIDIBOND 1.1 and SOLIDIBOND 2.2.  Slurries solidified with SOLIDIBOND pass the paint filter test, allowing for less-expensive disposal as..

CETCO

cetco.com CETCO introduced HERCULA-EZ, a cutting-edge additive used in conjunction with its bentonite-based drilling muds for horizontal directional drilling (HDD). With proper formulation, the system will produce a unique drilling fluid with excellent shear-thinning characteristics. At low shear ..

M-I SWACO Drilplex HDD Inorganic Viscosifier

M-I SWACO, a Schlumberger company, offers Drilplex HDD inorganic viscosifier, specially engineered for water-based bentonite drilling fluids to accommodate both maxi and mini HDD rigs. Drilplex HDD allows the formulation of fluids with shear-thinning properties, resulting in a drilling fluid with bo..

CETCO VELOXITY-PRO Drilling Fluid Improves Cuttings Removal

CETCO’s newest drilling fluid has been created to improve cuttings removal, as well as circulation. This high-quality bentonite drilling fluid increases viscosity and lowers fluid loss. VELOXITY-PRO mixes quickly and easily in freshwater and will improve borehole stability. This NSF/ANSI Standard 60..

TRU-BORE Designed For Difficult Drilling Operations

TRU-BORE® is a highly concentrated bentonite based drilling fluid designed for difficult drilling operations in both vertical and horizontal borings. It is extremely effective high performance viscosifier for horizontal drilling applications to maintain hole integrity during pullback. It is non-toxi..

Houston To Build Massive Northeast Transmission Waterline

The city of Houston is building the 16.5-mile Northeast Transmission Waterline as part of its Surface Water Transmission Program (SWTP) to meet the region’s projected 2040 water demand. Ultimately, the waterline will provide up to 96 million gallons per day (MGD) to the city and 269 MGD to local wat..

BJM Pumps Newest Submersible Pumps Designed for Superior Solids Handling

BJM Pumps newest submersible pumps – the XP-SKX Series – designed and engineered for superior corrosion resistance, solids handling and reliability. The series is FM approved in the U.S. and Canada, and the lineup is now offered with an explosion-proof monitor for installation in Class I, Division 1..

Filter Out Solids From Drilling Fluids With The Vermeer R9x12T Reclaimer

The Vermeer R9x12T Reclaimer utilizes a series of shakers, cones and screens to filter out solids from drilling fluids, and it can hold up to 8,560 gallons (32,403.1 L). Powered by a 3 phase 250 kW (313 kVA) generator, the R9x12T has four shakers that can clean 600 gpm (2271 L/min). Depending on the..

MCT 450 “Mud Man” Drill Fluid Mixing and Cleaning System from Mud Technology

The MCT 450 “Mud Man” Drill Fluid Mixing and Cleaning System from Mud Technology has cutting edge technology. The 2400 gallon, two-section tank includes 450 plus gpm of cleaning capacity. It features high “G” force “AWD” linear shaker, five-inch cone desilter bank, high shear/low pressure mixing hop..

Drilling Fluid BORZAN D from Wyo-Ben Particularly Effective in Vapor Extraction

As a stand-alone drilling fluid BORZAN D is a highly concentrated xanthan gum allowing for lower addition rates than most bio-polymers. BORZAN D fluids are particularly effective in vapor extraction and other environmental wells where it can be flushed out of the bore with minimum residual wall-cake..

Mud Recycling Becoming Common For Mid-Sized HDD Rigs

Recycling and reusing drilling fluids is becoming increasingly common on jobs with mid-size horizontal directional drill (HDD) projects where previously that practice was uncommon. Recycling isn’t for every job – it would not be practical on jobs with small machines making short bores – but contrac..

American Augers Introduces Mid-Range Rig, Fluid Recycling System

American Augers has introduced two new horizontal directional drilling (HDD) products – the DD-110 directional drill and M200D drilling fluid recycling system. The 110,000-pound pullback DD-110 represents the “low” end of the company’s mid-range directional drill lineup. The M200D fluid recycling s..

Kerite Completes Installation of Two Newly Constructed Substations

Kerite, the U.S.-based manufacturer of medium- and high-voltage high-quality insulated power cable products, completed the installation of 69kV underground transmission cable circuits at two newly constructed substations 30 miles north of Denver, CO. The installation projects for rural electric coo..

Underground Construction Drilling Fluids Guide 2015

Bentonite Baroid Industrial Drilling Products (281) 871-4613, www.baroididp.com Aquagel: Premium grade Wyoming sodium bentonite used as viscosifier and filtrate reducer in freshwater drilling fluids. Meets the requirements of API Specification 13A, Section 9. NSF/ANSI Standard 60 certified. Bore-..

Thunder Products Introduces Large HDD Recycling System

Thunder Products is introducing a new Thunderstorm drilling fluid recycling system at the 2015 ICUEE show in Louisville, KY, in late September. The Thunderstorm III becomes the largest of three fluid recycling system models in the Thunder Products lineup, said company President Dan Sharpe. It is de..

Equipment Spotlight: Drilling Fluids/Polymers

Drilling fluids/polymers by CETCO Drilling Products, M-I SWACO, Baroid Industrial Drilling Products and Wyo-Ben.