Electric System Upgrades

NOVEC continually monitors the safety and reliability of its electricity delivery infrastructure. As the number and type of customers change, the system must also change with them. NOVEC is currently upgrading lines along a large portion of its system to meet the needs of our customers.

The upgrade of NOVEC overhead lines usually means replacing short poles with taller poles, small wire with larger diameter wire, and increasing in the overall number of utility wires between two poles. The increased height of poles and the numbers of wires on them are the most visible changes.

Line upgrades normally change the way a right of way is maintained by NOVEC’s tree trimming contractors. Trees with limbs that overhang into the right of way must now be trimmed higher to accommodate the taller poles. Some trees that were trimmed in the past may need to be taken down because they will not survive the additional trimming or because they pose hazards to safety and reliability. Trees located within the right of way may be taken down to re-establish better access to the area.

NOVEC’s overhead line easements are 30 feet wide and designed to cover changes made in right-of-way maintenance due to line upgrades. NOVEC trims the trees along the sides of its high voltage overhead lines to the full width of these easements at all times.

For more information, contact the distribution engineering department at 703-754-6750.