National Powers Tucson

At National, we are always looking for ways to innovate and streamline utility construction on behalf of our customers while safeguarding the community and the environment.

In less than two weeks our teams were able to remove seven miles of 3/8” steel static wire and replace it with OPGW Fiber optic cable. This work was accomplished utilizing helicopters to place crew members on structures, and much of the work was done working off the helicopter skid. This method avoids the traditional work methods that require the use of heavy equipment, causing road closures and environmental disturbances.

The newly installed fiber optic wire will now allow the primary Tucson, AZ-based utility we serve to have efficient communication between substations. Not only can the system be remotely issolated, but also the new fiber can help identify the exact location of faults by measuring fault current from the substation out to the fault. By utilizing helicopters, we lessoned the impact to the community and the environment and greatly reduced the project duration. The project was delivered on time, under budget, and without incident.