Subterranean Power Line Blues

[Griff]

Again smrt. I wonder how toxic that oil is when it breaches completely?

[xoxoxoBruce]

I assume it's the same oil they use in transformers and that's nasty shit, mineral oils or more recently PCBs.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Griff

Again smrt. I wonder how toxic that oil is when it breaches completely?

Age of that cable put is before PCBs were banned for being carcinogenic.

Such cables no longer use oil. Cables for that voltage are even routinely buried in the ocean floor. One was discussed here long ago was from Connecticut to Long Island. It was incorrectly installed because it was not properly buried underneath the Sound.

Others carry power from off shore wind generators. The science has come a long way from those 'olden days'.

[xoxoxoBruce]

This happened 17 years ago, the cable was installed 34 years ago, not under water, 10 miles of dry ground just south of the LAX in Los Angeles County, CA.

[tw]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

This happened 17 years ago, the cable was installed 34 years ago, not under water, 10 miles of dry ground just south of the LAX in Los Angeles County, CA.

Exactly the point. That cable, even then, was obsolete technology. Today, same high voltage cables are laid even under the ocean. Obviously that could not happen with pipes containing oil.

Such cables no longer use oil. Or steel pipes. Routinely and safely, power cables are buried without metal pipes or oils - on dry land and in oceans. While fears remain to entrench denials, technology has long since moved on.

Burying a high voltage transmission cable is much easier than pipelines for oil, water, natural gas, etc. Even when equipment did not exist, the Big Inch pipeline (24" diameter) was buried from Texas to Pennsylvania in only six months.

Instead we waste that money and more on a $3trillion war to waste 5000 American lives for no purpose. And were only ten minutes away from doing it again. Amazing how fear and ignorance fails to target relevant objectives.

Amazing how many love to waste money on wars. And then deny how easily wires can be buried.

That was a 230,000 volt cable. The transmission lines that probably caused CA fire would have been maybe 33,000 volt wires - or less. Easily and routinely buried even in 1970.

Of course we cannot really blame the electric companies. Since so many 'powers that be' have been denying global warming. And obstructed anything that might address that reality.