We buy surplus 69 kV cable
Subtransmission cable in the 69 kV class is usually bought for one tie or one tap. When the scope changes, the reel is often barely touched and still fully documented.
Send the lot
Six details are enough to start: what the cable is, how much there is, where it is and what condition it is in. Photos can follow by text or email.
Prefer to talk 954-740-1983The 69 kV class sits between distribution and bulk transmission, and the cable that serves it is a different animal from anything on a 15 kV reel. Single conductor, solid dielectric, EPR or XLPE insulation, with a metallic shield over the insulation and an oversheath outside that. Every layer has a job in the review.
Most of what we see comes from two places: a substation tie-line that was rerouted or deferred, and a large industrial service tap where the customer changed the design. In both cases the reel is often new surplus, tagged, and stored under cover. Short lengths left after a termination cut are just as welcome.
One conductor, solid dielectric, one reel at a time
69 kV cable is reviewed reel by reel. Conductor may be copper or aluminum, and the size range runs from a few hundred kcmil into the low thousands. The tag usually carries the insulation type, the shield construction and the length, and along with the storage history those decide whether the reel can go underground again.
A reel that has never been cut is the cleanest item in the class. Once the end has been opened for a termination, the question shifts to how well that end was sealed and how long it stood that way. Say which it is when the lot is listed, because the two review differently.
Semicon and shield: what is checked under the jacket
The semiconductive layers sit tight against the insulation, one under the shield and one over the conductor. They are bonded, thin and unforgiving. A nick at a cut end, a lifted edge or a wrinkle where the cable was bent too hard turns a reusable reel into recovery material, and no amount of clean jacket fixes it.
The metallic shield is the second check. Copper wire shield, tape shield or a lead sheath, it carries fault current and it also shows how the cable was treated. Corrosion under the oversheath, a shield that has been cut back badly, or water tracking along the wires all point the same way.
Short lengths after a termination cut still count
A termination consumes length. A joint consumes more. What comes back on the reel after a tie is made is often a few hundred feet, and that length is not wasted. A short 69 kV piece can serve a riser, a jumper or a repair, and buyers who work in this class know what a usable short length looks like.
List short lengths separately, with the measured length rather than the original tag figure. If the cut end has been sealed and capped, say so. If it has been standing open in a yard, say that too, because an open end on this class of cable is the single fastest way for a reel to lose its reusability.
What this page covers
The rows a buyer would fill in when reviewing this kind of lot. If your cable matches most of them, the submission is ready.
| Voltage class | 69 kV |
|---|---|
| Constructions reviewed | Solid dielectric, EPR and XLPE, lead-covered where present |
| Typical conductor | 500 kcmil to 2,000 kcmil copper or aluminum |
| Condition flags | UV exposure, sheath damage, water ingress at an open end |
| Site type | Utility and industrial substation yards |
Tie-lines and industrial taps around the city
Sixty-nine kV ties run between the city substations and out to the industrial loads along SH-71 toward Bastrop and US-183 toward Lockhart. Cable for those jobs is staged at yards close to the route, which is usually where a cancelled or deferred scope leaves a reel sitting.
The larger plants east and south of Austin take service at this class, and a plant expansion that changes its point of connection releases cable that was bought for the old arrangement. Pickup is arranged at the site, with the access details settled before anything is loaded.
Sellers ask
Do you need the test reports with the reel?
They help. A factory test report and a reel tag that agree with each other let a buyer treat the reel as new surplus. Without them the cable can still be reviewed, but the assessment leans harder on the physical condition of the ends and the sheath.
How is a reel with an open end handled?
Cautiously. An open end lets moisture into the insulation, and on this class that is hard to reverse. The reel is reviewed on how long the end has been open, whether it was capped, and how it was stored. A sealed end stored indoors reads very differently.
Is aluminum conductor acceptable at this voltage?
Yes, aluminum appears in this class, particularly on larger sizes where the weight of copper becomes a handling problem. Note the conductor metal on the list, since it changes both the review and the equipment needed to move the reel.
Send the reel list
Six details are enough to start: what the cable is, how much there is, where it is and what condition it is in. Photos can follow by text or email.
Prefer to talk 954-740-1983