Reliability cables white paper

A white paper on underground distribution cable reliability improvement.

Many of North America’s critical customer areas are served through underground distribution systems, at voltages between 5 kV and 35 kV, using paper insulated, lead covered (PILC) or solid dielectric (polymeric) cables. Although these systems have given good service in the past, there are indications occurring at many utilities that wear and tear are driving up failure rates, operating problems, and service interruptions as the systems age. It is expected that repair and replacement costs, as well as service quality problems due to circuit and equipment outages, will escalate in the future unless preventative action is taken.