Customer
AEP
Location
Ohio
Highlights
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Critical Damage Caught Just in Time -
Rapid Coordination Protected Schedule and Safety -
Beyond the Scope: A Lesson in Situational Awareness
Preventing Line Failure During Solar Integration Work
The Challenge
During a planned 138 kV double circuit outage, crews were preparing to install personal protective grounds when they noticed damage to the existing conductor—damage not flagged during initial planning. The next span was scheduled to be reworked to support a solar generation cut-in, making the integrity of this conductor section critical to both crew safety and schedule execution.
The damage posed an extreme risk of conductor failure during rework, which could have resulted in project delays, cost overruns, or safety incidents. Initial inspection pointed to previous lightning strikes as the root cause of the conductor degradation.
The Solution
Upon discovery:
- The crew immediately halted work and escalated the issue to the Transmission Field Services (TFS) line supervisor.
- The team assessed risk and discussed options to stay on schedule without compromising safety.
- TFS crews were dispatched to perform the required conductor repair, ensuring structural and electrical integrity.
- The job resumed safely with only a brief delay, maintaining critical path continuity for the solar integration.
Key Benefits
- Real-Time Hazard Mitigation: Early identification of latent conductor damage avoided major downstream risk.
- Schedule Protection: By mobilizing quickly and coordinating with TFS, the crew avoided long delays.
- Cross-Project Awareness: Reinforced the importance of checking infrastructure that may not be the direct focus of the current work scope.
- Field Vigilance Culture: Showcased how trained crews contribute to system reliability beyond their immediate task list.
The Results
- No incident occurred, and the conductor was repaired prior to being loaded during solar rework.
- Solar cut-in proceeded without rework-related disruption.
- The moment is now referenced internally as a lesson in looking beyond the immediate scope and evaluating upstream/downstream infrastructure impacts.
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