In South Africa’s vast mountainous terrains, some transmission towers can be exposed to as many as 16 lightning strikes/ sq. km/year, leading to a high number of flashovers and power interruptions. Therefore, one of the largest transmission and distribution utilities in the country has deployed Hitachi Energy PEXLINK solution.
The solution includes the installation of line surge arresters that act as protection layers from such flashovers. The installation process of Hitachi Energy's line surge arresters is quick and easy, requiring no special tools. Currently, 317 surge arresters from Hitachi Energy have been installed on 146 transmission line towers in the network.
With the PEXLINK concept, the utility aims to bring down the number of line faults. They are also able to build more robust protection of the line that enables constant, uninterrupted power supply to the consumer.
| Main data | |
|---|---|
| Year of installation | 2018 |
| Type of product | PEXLINK line surge arrester solution with PEXLIM non-gapped line arresters |
| Number of units | 317 arresters |
| Network voltage | 132 and 180 kV |
| Frequency | 50 Hz |
