A Marmon Wire & Cable / Berkshire Hathaway Company

53 Old Wilton Road Milford, NH 03055-3119 603-673-2040 www.hendrix-wc.com

Powering National Parks Worldwide:

Strong and Reliable Hendrix Aerial Cable Protects Natural Beauty and Enhances the Tourist Experience

Throughout the world, national parks are known for their remote, rugged terrain and stark beauty. While the human population is low, the vast wilderness is rife with indigenous wildlife. The ecosystem that sustains these areas is respected, revered, protected.

Critical to the success of local economies, thousands of park tourists experience the majesty of snowcapped glaciers, rolling grasslands, deserts, canyons, mighty rivers, lakes, tropical rain forests and ocean shoreline. But where there are people, there must be electric power. Constructing and maintaining power lines in national park areas throughout the world can be challenging and arduous.

In Albertas Jasper National Park, high in the Canadian Rockies, a 6 km stretch of power distribution line originally installed in the 1950s was nearing the end of its useful life. Featuring an aerial cable system manufactured by Hendrix Wire & Cable, the lines travel along a narrow, heavily treed right-of-way that extends through the parks mountainous terrain and crosses three rivers. The power system is exposed to falling trees, heavy ice and snow, and occasional avalanches that can cause service interruptions, especially once the conductor becomes thin and bare.

Powering National Parks Worldwide

Hendrixs aerial spacer cable system provided structural integrity and power to the Jasper power network for more than 60 years. The system features four individual cables connected using spacer brackets located every 9 meters. Three cables carry power, while the fourth, a heavy-gauge messenger wire, structurally supports the aerial cable system and helps it withstand environmental damage.

The 6 km stretch of cabling is supported by utility poles located every 100 meters. Between the poles, the cable spans a distance approximately the same length as a football field, completely unsupported. Designed to cross spans of nearly 500 meters without support, Hendrixs messenger wire reduces the potential for downed conductors and minimizes the need for ongoing preventive maintenance.

In 2013, when park authorities determined the line needed upgrades to ensure reliable electrical service, they chose to use Hendrixs latest aerial spacer cabling system. The 25kV class, 1/0 AWG conductor cabling featured 052 AWA messenger wire designed to withstand heavy wind and ice conditions. The cable would again be installed in 100 meter lengths along the right-of-way. Over its 6 km length, the line would cross three rivers and climb thousands of feet of rocky elevation.

Protecting the areas delicate ecosystem throughout the construction process was paramount. Animals who call the park home include caribou, bighorn sheep, bear, elk, mountain lions, wolves, songbirds and birds of prey. Construction efforts had to respect the flora and fauna, leaving little to no trace of human activity.

Jaspers rugged location and the prevalence of trees made it impossible for construction equipment, bucket trucks and transportation vehicles to access the work site. To solve the distribution and environmental challenges, creativity was required. The construction team relied upon helicopters to

bring in poles and cables, with rubber-tracked all-terrain vehicles transporting other supplies. Installation of the cabling was done using boatswain chairs suspended from the messenger wire, a system that is also used for any required maintenance on the lines.

The upgraded Jasper power lines were energized in 2013 and have significantly improved service reliability. But Jasper is not the only national park with a Hendrix aerial spacer cable success story.

Nestled on the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, Costa Ricas Curu Wildlife Refuge features threatened and endangered ocean and forest habitats, including beaches, mangroves, tropical moist and dry forests, and coral reefs. Animals that call the park home range from the mundane to the exotic: raccoons, deer, coyotes, monkeys, sloths, iguanas, crocodiles, boa constrictors, and hundreds of migrating and tropical bird species.

In 2012, the local utility, Coopeguanacaste, contracted with Hendrix to install 12 km of aerial spacer cable in the park, extending primarily along a narrow access road that runs from the white sand beaches through the mountainous tropical rain forests. The new high-voltage power line replaced an existing low-voltage line and was installed along the same path. Similar to the Jasper project, protection of indigenous flora and fauna within Curu was critical to the success of the installation.

With the tropical park so near the Pacific Ocean, the electrical cabling needed to withstand high humidity, exposure to salt spray, high winds and damaging storms. Weathering falling trees and branches and animal encounters - usually with monkeys and birds - was also critical. Hendrix recommended using 25 kV cabling insulated to 35kV as it would provide greater longevity and reduced corrosion on exposure to damaging ocean elements, as well

Powering National Parks Worldwide

as contact with claws, beaks and teeth. The aerial systems messenger cable is designed to protect the power line from both harsh conditions and falling trees.

Careful installation procedures protected trees, plant life and animals. Along the 12 km span of the power line, short utility poles were installed every 46 meters to allow power lines to run beneath the tree canopy, preserving the natural look of the forest. To minimize damage, utility poles located along the access roads were installed using trucks, while poles in less accessible locations were carried into the areas by hand. Cabling on accessible poles was completed using trucks, while installation on inaccessible poles required boatswain chairs suspended from the messenger cable.

The strength and reliability of the Hendrix aerial cable system meant that maintenance workers only need to trim the trees along the power lines once every two years instead of annually, saving both time and money. Also, compared to the bare-wire low-voltage lines, the covered Hendrix cable system required less foliage to be removed from surrounding trees, saving 80% of the surrounding canopy.

Through this cooperative project with Hendrix, Coopeguanacaste renewed its commitment to environmental stewardship by reducing tree trimming and vastly enhancing retention of the forests canopy layer. This effort protects thousands of animals and birds who call the Costa Rican park their home.

Hendrix Aerial Cable Systems are used in hundreds of parks throughout the world, from the Americas to New Zealand, from Portugal to Korea. The cabling is even used to electrify McMurdo Station, the U.S. Antarctic research facility. This is powerful stuff. (see sidebar.)

At every installation, Hendrix works with customers to maximize system reliability and installation efficiency, respecting local environments and ecosystems. Engineers

at Hendrix consult with customers to custom design installations on the most challenging sites; provide project management services from initiation to close of job; handle material procurement, shipping, kitting and labeling of optimized cable lengths; coordinate installation even in the worlds most remote locations; and develop preventive maintenance programs that will keep power systems functioning reliably for years to come.

Global Hendrix National Park or protected-area installations

Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

Barre De LIsle Forest Reserve, St Lucia

Canal Zone, Panama

Costa Rica

Galapagos Islands, World Heritage Site

Gyeongju, South Korea

Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

McMurdo Station, Antarctica

Parque Nacional Lagunas de Montebello, Mexico

Parque Natural Serra Da Estrella, Portugal

Pike River, New Zealand

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

St Croix, USVI

Tarapoa, Ecuador