I agree with Roger. Although the machine looks new, the technology certainly isn’t. Trials were done wrapping earth wire between Fawley and Nursling back in the eighties as an alternative to replacing the earth wire with a conductor including an integral fibre. We (Manx Utilities, formerly Manx Electricity Authority) were I believe the first utility to use a BICC phase conductor at MV with an integral fibre back in the mid 90s. As part of this, a tracking resistant fibre cable was used to take the fibres down the pole. Since then, a number of UK utilities have successfully wrapped and used integral fibre at higher voltages. 


It is conceivable that the claim is a new machine that can climb over post-type insulators found at MV on certain types of line construction, albeit I suspect with the line dead.


It is also worth noting that on the UK supergrid, the Earth-wire wrapping machine could operate with the lines live, as long as the towers could be safely climbed live. The technology is fairly old, but the application may be new. It would be interesting to see an “unwrapping machine” at MV. These need far more precise control, and could (and sometimes did) tie themselves to the line with a large knot of the fibre Optic cable they were supposed to be collecting, resulting in the machine itself needing to be rescued! 


Regards,


Alan.

I agree with Roger. Although the machine looks new, the technology certainly isn’t. Trials were done wrapping earth wire between Fawley and Nursling back in the eighties as an alternative to replacing the earth wire with a conductor including an integral fibre. We (Manx Utilities, formerly Manx Electricity Authority) were I believe the first utility to use a BICC phase conductor at MV with an integral fibre back in the mid 90s. As part of this, a tracking resistant fibre cable was used to take the fibres down the pole. Since then, a number of UK utilities have successfully wrapped and used integral fibre at higher voltages. 


It is conceivable that the claim is a new machine that can climb over post-type insulators found at MV on certain types of line construction, albeit I suspect with the line dead.


It is also worth noting that on the UK supergrid, the Earth-wire wrapping machine could operate with the lines live, as long as the towers could be safely climbed live. The technology is fairly old, but the application may be new. It would be interesting to see an “unwrapping machine” at MV. These need far more precise control, and could (and sometimes did) tie themselves to the line with a large knot of the fibre Optic cable they were supposed to be collecting, resulting in the machine itself needing to be rescued! 


Regards,


Alan.