Strategic Fiber Initiative


TVA currently is in the midst of installing up to 3,500 miles of additional fiber- optic lines onto its existing power line system, traversing its entire service area. Transmission towers are an optimal place to string fiber-optic cable. High-voltage transmission lines have an overhead ground wire on the towers above the conductors. This wire is used to shield the lines from lighting strikes. To install fiber, TVA pulls out the old ground wire and replaces it with optical ground wire, which shields the lines but also includes fiber-optic cable inside. TVA’s helicopter fleet is making this project faster and more efficient with the ability to carry three linemen, dropping one at a time onto a tower in as few as 15 seconds and then hopscotching ahead.


“The grid of the future requires a lot of data, and potentially doubling the footprint of our fiber-optic network will help us get there,” Featherston said. TVA uses the fiber-optic network for operating, monitoring, and protecting the power system.


In addition to the operational benefits, this initiative may provide a major economic development boost to the Tennessee Valley. “This fiber network aligns with the TVA mission,” Featherston said.


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Mar/Apr 2019


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