Transmission cable · 46 kV to 345 kV
High-voltage cable buyers in New York
Above 35 kV the construction of the cable matters more than the voltage on the tag. This page is the way into the category: which kinds of cable exist at these levels, where each one turns up in New York, and how to tell whether a lot is cable or recovery.
- New York State
- Documented lots
- Reels and cut lengths
- Buyer review
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Send the construction, size and footage. Photographs can follow.
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Three constructions cover almost everything above 35 kV: solid-dielectric cable with extruded insulation and a metallic shield, paper-insulated lead-covered cable, and pipe-type cable where three cables share a steel pipe filled with oil or gas. Each has its own value logic. Footage, sheath condition, sealed ends and test or fluid records decide far more than the voltage class, and the individual voltage pages take each band further.
Three constructions, one voltage range
Solid-dielectric transmission cable is the modern default. The conductor is screened with an extruded semiconducting layer, insulated with XLPE or EPR, screened again, then covered with a metallic shield, usually copper tape or copper wires, and an outer jacket. It is lighter, easier to joint and has no fluid to manage, which is why most new underground transmission is built this way.
Paper-insulated lead-covered cable, PILC, is the older construction: paper tape wound around the conductor, impregnated with a viscous compound, and enclosed in a lead sheath that keeps moisture out and the compound in. It works extremely well in the ground and is unforgiving of exposure. Pipe-type cable takes a different approach: three paper or solid-dielectric cables are pulled into a steel pipe and the pipe is filled with oil held at pressure, or with nitrogen in the older gas-filled variant. The pipe is the pressure vessel, the dielectric and the mechanical protection at once.
Where each one appears in New York
The split is largely geographic. Dense urban areas, where a 345 kV or 138 kV overhead line has nowhere to go, run underground transmission: pipe-type cable at the highest levels and paper-insulated cable in the older 69 kV and 138 kV networks that were built before solid-dielectric transmission existed. Those networks are still in service and are still being replaced section by section, which is where most urban transmission surplus comes from.
Upstate New York is the opposite picture. The bulk 115 kV, 230 kV and 345 kV network is overhead on steel structures, and underground cable appears only in short sections: substation exits, river and highway crossings, and the risers into terminal structures. That means upstate lots tend to be short lengths of high-voltage cable rather than long drum runs, and the overhead conductor is a separate category entirely.
What a buyer needs before a lot can be valued
Voltage class, construction and conductor size come first, then footage, then what has happened to the ends. A high-voltage cable with sealed ends and a drum tag is an asset; the same cable with two open ends that have been in a wet trench is copper and lead. Sheath integrity is the next question, because the sheath is the moisture barrier and a gouge through it starts a failure that shows up years later.
Records are the multiplier that separates a cable lot from a scrap lot. Factory test certificates, partial discharge results, tan delta or very low frequency tests from service, and for pipe-type cable the fluid test results and pressure history all tell a buyer whether the insulation is sound. A pulling record matters too, because a cable pulled over its tension limit has been damaged in a way no test will show until it fails.
- Construction and voltage class, stated plainly rather than described
- Conductor material and size, from the tag or a cut end
- Footage, and whether the drum is complete
- How the ends were sealed, and when
- Any terminations, joints or potheads that came with the cable
Cable or recovery: the test that decides the conversation
The first question on any high-voltage lot is whether it is cable or recovery material, and the answer is usually visible before any test is run. A full drum with sealed ends, a tag and a test certificate is cable. Cut lengths of a few dozen feet with open ends, oil-stained paper, a crushed pipe or a sheath torn at a support are recovery, and no amount of paperwork changes that.
There is a third category that sellers often miss: cable abandoned in place. Much urban paper-insulated cable is de-energized and left in its duct rather than pulled, because pulling damages ducts that are expensive to replace. That cable is not a lot at all, and it is not for sale; what is for sale is the material from the pulls that were actually made.
| What you have | Likely outcome |
|---|---|
| Complete drum, sealed ends, tag and test certificate | Cable, valued on construction, footage and records |
| Drum with tag but no records, ends sealed | Cable, priced as untested |
| Cut lengths over about 100 ft with sealed ends | Cable if the construction suits a jointed run, otherwise review |
| Short cut lengths, open ends, wet paper | Recovery, priced on copper and lead content |
| Cable with sheath damage or a crushed pipe | Recovery, or cable after a sheath repair assessment |
| Cable abandoned in duct and not recovered | Not a lot; it stays with the owner |
Specification
What a buyer needs to know about this cable
Every row below changes what a lot is worth. If the reel tag is gone, the jacket print and a cut end usually answer most of it.
Missing detail is not a problem — say what is missing and the review works from photographs.
| Voltage range | 46 kV, 69 kV, 115 kV, 138 kV, 230 kV and 345 kV |
|---|---|
| Solid-dielectric | XLPE or EPR insulation with extruded semiconducting screens, copper tape or wire shield, jacket |
| Paper-insulated | Mass-impregnated paper, lead sheath, often served or taped over the lead; PILC |
| Pipe-type | Three single-core cables in a steel pipe, oil-filled under pressure (HPFF) or gas-filled (HPGF) |
| Conductor | Stranded or segmental copper, sometimes aluminum; 500 kcmil to 2500 kcmil at transmission levels |
| Accessories | Potheads, joints, stress cones, oil tanks and pressure gauges, all part of the lot |
| Records | Drum tags, factory test certificates, partial discharge, tan delta, fluid tests, pulling records |
| Condition signals | Sheath damage, moisture in paper, oil loss, corroded pipe, cut-off terminations |
Constructions
The constructions in this category
Each has its own section in the cluster, because each is bought on different evidence.
Solid-dielectric transmission cable
XLPE or EPR with extruded screens and a metallic shield. The easiest to store and test, and the construction most likely to be reused at 69 kV and 138 kV.
Paper-insulated lead-covered cable
PILC at 69 kV and 138 kV in older urban networks. Excellent in the ground, intolerant of air, and bought on sheath condition and moisture history.
Pipe-type cable
Three cables in an oil-filled steel pipe at 138 kV and 345 kV. The pipe, the oil and the accessories are as much of the asset as the conductor.
Gas-filled cable
The older high-pressure gas variant. Rare, and usually encountered as a decommissioned section with nitrogen rather than oil in the pipe.
New project surplus
Drum ends and spare lengths from a transmission project. Often the best material in the category, and the most likely to carry full documentation.
Decommissioned sections
Cable cut out during a replacement, with terminations removed. Footage and end sealing decide whether it is reviewed as cable at all.
New York
High-voltage cable in the New York market
New York is unusual in how much of its transmission is underground. The dense downstate load centers are fed by cable that runs in duct banks and pipes under streets, and the replacement of that cable is a continuous program rather than a one-off project. Layers of the network were built at different times with different constructions, so a single street can hold solid-dielectric cable from one decade alongside paper cable from another.
For a seller, that means high-voltage lots are usually small and irregular. A utility is not going to sell a drum of 345 kV cable it may need next year, but a contractor finishing a project, a store clearing obsolete specification material, or a station being reconfigured will produce lengths that are worth reviewing. The way to get a sensible answer is to describe the construction and the footage honestly, and to send the tag.
What helps a New York lot move
- Voltage class and construction, as a buyer would write them
- Conductor size and material
- Footage per drum or per piece, and the number of pieces
- End sealing, sheath condition and pipe condition
- Whatever records exist, photographed rather than summarized
Seller questions
Questions sellers ask
What voltage classes does this page cover?
Cable above 35 kV: 46 kV, 69 kV, 115 kV, 138 kV, 230 kV and 345 kV. Each band has its own page in this cluster, and this page is the overview that explains the constructions and the questions a buyer asks before looking at a specific voltage.
How do I tell solid-dielectric cable from paper-insulated cable?
Look at a cut end. Solid-dielectric cable shows a black or dark extruded insulation bonded to semiconducting layers and a metallic shield, with a jacket over it. Paper cable shows a lead sheath that can be peeled, and inside it taped paper that unwinds in layers. The lead sheath is the giveaway, and it is also why paper cable is heavier.
Does 345 kV cable always come out of a pipe?
In New York, underground 345 kV is almost always pipe-type, with three cables inside a steel pipe filled with oil under pressure. Overhead 345 kV is a different category entirely, bare conductor on towers. A 345 kV lot therefore needs to be described as pipe-type or overhead before anything else is discussed.
Can transmission cable be reused once it has been removed?
Sometimes, and less often than sellers hope. Reuse needs a complete length, sealed ends, a sound sheath and a construction that matches an existing circuit. Cable that has been pulled, jointed, cut out of a run or stored with open ends is recovery material, and the copper is the main value.
Which records change the value of a high-voltage lot most?
Factory test certificates and any partial discharge or tan delta results, because they speak to the insulation rather than the appearance. For pipe-type cable, fluid test results and the pressure history matter as much. A drum tag with footage is the minimum, and a lot with no tag at all is valued on measurement alone.
Keep reading
Related pages
City pages
Where this turns up in New York
Next step
Send the lot details
Include the storage city, how it is stored and what can reach it. If you have photographs of reel tags or jacket print, send them with the enquiry.
Send the lot
One desk reviews every lot that arrives.
Prefer to talk? 614-715-3047 · saleselectricalbuyers@gmail.com