TransCo

Determination of
Minimum Right-of-
Way (ROW) Width
for Overhead
Power
Transmission
Lines

Bienvenido D. Valeros
John C. Placente

ME TDSGA 2013, Bangkok, Thailand May 2013

Objective

Study aims to:

1. Provide the technical basis of transmission line

right-of-way (ROW) width based on applicable
electrical and safety codes.
2. Determine opportunities on cost-savings by
paying only the ROW width that is needed by
TransCo.

ME TDSGA 2013, Bangkok, Thailand 2

 TRANSMISSION LINE LENGTH
Luzon (in CKT-KM)
As of CY2011

9,482

4,979

5,361
Visayas
PHILIPPINES 19,822

Mindanao
Mindanao

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 Transmission Line Length
As of December 31, 2011

Voltage Luzon Visayas Mindanao Total

(kV) (km) (km) (km) (km)

500 491.15 0 0 491.5

350 214.79 259 0 473.79
230 3,136.07 171.92 0 3,307.99
138 0 1,296.24 2,269.50 3,565.74
115 209.45 0 0 209.45
69 & Below 2,632.90 2,148.47 2,076.55 6,857.92

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Right-of-Way (ROW) is to provide
an access corridor for maintenance of
transmission lines, with consideration to
safety clearances and EMF exposure limits.

ROW Width

ROW Width
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ROW Width Determination
230 kV Voltage FIXED
Level Width
(kV) (m)

69 15

115 30

138 30

230 40

345 50
12 m
500 65
40 Meters

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Proposed ROW Width Determination
230 kV

12 m

ROW= Design, EMF

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 References for Determination

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 Horizontal Clearance at Rest
Formula Above 36 kV, Altitude ≤ 1000 m
Philippine Electrical Code Rule 3.4.5.7(a)

 VLL  m 
WHCL R  WREST  0.01  22
 3 

WHCL-R is the effective horizontal clearance (@ rest), meters

WREST is the horizontal clearance on PEC Table 3.4.5.3(a)(1)
for open supply conductors, 2.3 meters
VLL is the line to line voltage, kV
m is the maximum voltage multiplier;
1.05 (69-345kV) and 1.10 (500kV and above)
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 Horizontal Clearance at Rest
(Computed)
Horizontal Clearance At
Nominal Maximum
Rest, Altitude ≤ 1000 m,
Voltage Level, Voltage Level,
in Meters
in kV in kV
(Based on PEC)
69 72 2.50
115 121 2.78
138 145 2.92
230 242 3.47
345 362 4.17
500 550 5.26

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 Horizontal Clearance,
Conductor Displaced by Wind
Formula for Above 36 kV, Altitude ≤ 1000m, Wind
Philippine Electrical Code Rule 3.4.5.3
 VLL  m 
WHCLW  WWIND  0.01  22
 3 

WHCL-W is the horizontal clearance requirement

when displaced by wind
WWIND is the minimum wind clearance requirement as
listed in Table 3.4.5.2(a)(2); for overhead
conductor, 1.4 meters.
VLL is the line to line voltage.
m is the maximum voltage multiplier;
1.05 (69-345kV) and 1.10 (500kV)
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 Horizontal Clearance When Conductor
is Displaced by Wind (Computed)
Horizontal Clearance With
Nominal Maximum Wind Displacement, Altitude ≤
Voltage Level, Voltage Level, 1000 m,
in kV in kV in Meters
(Based on PEC)
69 72 1.60
115 121 1.88
138 145 2.02
230 242 2.57
345 362 3.27
500 550 4.36
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 Conductor Swing Angle Calculation
IEC 60826, Philippine Electrical Code

1
C  tan 
  / 2   C C  V
2
R  GL  D  aW


 m C g  a 

ØC is the swing angle of the conductor blown by wind

ρ is the air density (1.14-1.29, assumption: 1.16 kg/m3)
CC is the drag factor equal to 1.0 for stranded conductor
VR is the wind speed/velocity (meters/second)
GL is the span factor taking into account the effect of span
length (Values are 1.0 to 0.875 for 200 m to 600 m)
D is the conductor diameter (meters)
mC is the conductor mass per unit length (kg/m)
g is the gravitational acceleration constant (9.8 m/s2)
aW is the wind span
a is the conductor span length (assumption: a=aW)
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 Span Factor, GL
IEC 60826

Wind Span, aW
Span Factor, GL
(meters)
200 1.000
250 0.984
300 0.969
350 0.953
400 0.938
450 0.922
500 0.906
550 0.891
600 0.875

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 Example
Condor (795 MCM), 270 KPH or 75 m/s

  / 2  CC  VR2  GL  D  aW 
1
C  tan  
 mC g  a 
 kg  
  1.16 3   m
2

  m  1.0 75  0.9840.0277m  aW 
 2   s  
  
C  tan1   

  kg 1km  m 
1523   9.8 2   a
  km 1000m  s  
 
 
 
Assumption: conductor span, a is assumed equal to
wind span, aW; therefore,

C  80.5
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 Conductor Swing Angles Per KPH
Philippine Electrical Code 2, 2009

Condor (795 MCM) @ Span = 250 m 240 270

KPH KPH

Wind Swing
Zone
Speed Angle

270 KPH
Zone 1 80.5O
75 m/s
240 KPH
Zone 2 78.2O
67 m/s
160 KPH
Zone 3 64.5O
44.45m/s 160
KPH

ME TDSGA 2013, Bangkok, Thailand

Example
The 230 kV double circuit
overhead conductors are
supported by two towers with
dimensions as shown. The two
towers are on same elevation
and the span between them is
250 meters. Surveyed data
from the field indicates that the
total insulator length and
conductor sag amounts to 6.0 TOWER TOWER

meters. Conductor is in Zone 1 ‘A’ ‘B’

(270 KPH). 250 m

1.5 m 1.5 m
Recommend a minimum right-
of-way (ROW) based on 4.5 m
clearances of conductors at rest
and under wind displacement. NOT TO SCALE
FOR ILLUSTRATION ONLY

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A. Compute for the Horizontal B. Compute for the Horizontal
Clearance at Rest Clearance, with Wind

 230  1.05  230  1.05 

WHCL R  2.3  0.01

 22 WHCL W  1.4  0.01  22
3  3 
 
WHCL R  3.47 m  3.5 m WHCLW  2.57 m  2.6 m

2.6 m

With Wind
Clearance
5.92 m

1.5 m
Clearance
3.5 m

80.5o
At Rest

4.5 m

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Illustration #1

29.2 m

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 HORIZONTAL CLEARANCE, WITH WIND DISPLACEMENT

2.6
2.6

2.42
5.92
Illustration #2

3.5

ME TDSGA 2013, Bangkok, Thailand

12
29.04 m
3.5
5.92

HORIZONTAL CLEARANCE AT REST

2.42
2.6
2.6

HORIZONTAL CLEARANCE, WITH WIND DISPLACEMENT

20
 ROW WIDTH ESTIMATES

Voltage Level CURRENT PROPOSED*

(kV) (Fixed) (Design Dependent)

69 15 6-12

115 30 11-26

138 30 11-26

230 40 20-32

345 50 23-38

500 65 33-53

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LATEST EMF EXPOSURE LIMITS
General Public, 60 Hertz, 2010 ICNIRP*
*International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection

PARAMETER VALUE

Electric Field 4.17 kV/m

Magnetic Field 2000 milliGauss*

*1998 Value = 833 mG

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Limits: Electric Field = 4.17 kV/m
Magnetic Field = 2000 mG

Calculated EMF Levels

Information: 230 kV, Bundle of 4, 820 Amps Per Cond, Double Ckt
Distance from
Conductor
Centerline 0 2.5 5 7.5 10 12.5 15 17.5 20
(m)
Electric Field
0.172 0.451 0.796 1.048 1.177 1.185 1.1 0.959 0.796
(kV/m)
Magnetic Field
186.44 184.06 177.71 167.53 154.09 138.43 121.88 105.68 90.69
(mG)

Measured EMF Levels @ 5 m from Conductor Centerline

Transmission Line Electric Field Magnetic Field

Sucat-Araneta-Balintawak 230 kV 0.04 3.15

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Benefits

Reduction of area
acquisition cost of
28-32%.

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 Way Forward

1. Status. Completed 10 Consultation meetings

with distribution utilities and other power
experts. Preparing for 2 more technical
consultations and then legal consultations.
2. Board Approval. Seek final
approval/recommendation from management
team.
3. Program Development. Create a software
and database system (tower design data, sag,
span) which will compute for ROW acquisition.
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 FOR COMMENTS
Email:

MR. BIENVENIDO D. VALEROS

bdvaleros@transco.ph
MR. JOHN C. PLACENTE
jcplacente@transco.ph
MS. SHELYMAR F. AURIGE
sfaurige@transco.ph
MS. DIVINA I. CUSTODIO
dicustodio@transco.ph

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