Underground Cable

Jon Joyce, engineering director at Central Rural Electric Cooperative and Indian Electric Cooperative, both in Oklahoma, is a big fan of CableCURE technology for rejuvenating underground lines—before they fail.

Both co-ops were seeing an increase in primary underground failures due to water-trees, a common problem with aging solid-dielectric polyethylene insulated conductor, also known as XLPE cable. Worried about the cost of repairs and hoping to get ahead of a looming budget problem, Joyce tried CableCURE as an alternative to disruptive and costly line replacement.

Offered exclusively by UtilX Corp., the CableCURE process involves injecting a patented silicone- based fluid through the conductor strands. For a fraction of replacement cost, Central Rural Electric has treated nearly 143,000 feet of underground line since 1998. Indian Electric has treated about 40,000 feet since 2002. As a result, the two co-ops have deferred replacement of that cable for 20 years or more while improving system performance.

"Our aging underground cable has been proactively addressed in an economical way that will benefit our members with increased reliability without the mess and disruption associated with cable replacement," Joyce says. "The economics were compelling, the process has a proven track record and the warranty provides us protection for 20 years. UtilX's personnel were professional and worked closely with our operations group at both CREC and IEC."