pollutants in riverbeds.
Prolonged smoke exposure can trigger respiratory issues and long-term health complications. Particularly in the western U. S., worsening wildfire-driven air pollution can affect local and regional air quality, with children, pregnant women and the elderly at the highest risk.
At the same time, data from California’ s investor-owned electric utilities have shown that converting overhead distribution infrastructure to underground is up to 10 times more expensive than installing new distribution overhead lines.
The feasibility of undergrounding electric distribution lines in other states such as Connecticut, New Hampshire and Massachusetts each has its own set of cost implications and logistical and technical challenges.
It was reported by CBS News in 2023 that Eversource, a residential energy provider, had about 11,000 miles of line in Massachusetts alone in 2021. It was
The BP200C cable pulling winch provides smooth and efficient cable handling in the field with a two-speed motor and an active level wind system. estimated that converting their overhead cables underground would cost roughly $ 2 million to $ 6 million per mile— or $ 22 billion to $ 66 billion. Another estimate given around that time for moving all the state’ s overhead lines underground was up to $ 1 trillion.
Boots on the Ground After civil engineering is completed, specialized equipment outfitted with cable pulling winches is used to move high-voltage power cables through conduits, trenches or ducts, to minimize the risk of damage and expedite progress.
DC Bates Equipment is a Massachusetts-based builder and outfitter for trucks, trailers and specialized equipment. The company’ s focus for more than 30 years has been on material handling equipment and custom fabrications for crane and rigging specialists, serving Northeast U. S. utilities.
The BP200C cable pulling winch is a specialized drum winch purpose-engineered by BRADEN with features designed to achieve superior gearing and braking system performance. The winch’ s two-speed motor provides for low-speed torque and feathering control, as well as high-speed operation. A sprag clutch eliminates fallback during reel-out operations. An adjustable lowdrag free spool system facilitates manual cable pulling.
Don Bates, owner of DC Bates and a long-time distributor for the winch manufacturer, said demands in the industry center around quality, safety and reliable machine performance.
Winches, drives and other components must be optimally mounted and configured— ensuring they can be integrated and operate as designed— without interfering with other parts or systems while meeting the end user’ s requirements.“ The first thing we do is determine the
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