Ekibastuz–Kokshetau high-voltage line

PSK-300A and PS-400A (U400A) disc suspension insulators used on 1150 kV powerlines in comparison with common U70BL insulator

1150 kV Powerline

The Ekibastuz–Kokshetau high-voltage line is an electrical power transmission line in Kazakhstan. It runs at 1150 kV and holds the record for having the highest operating transmission voltage in the world.

Construction started, and the line entered service during the Soviet era. Designated as power line number 1101, it runs 432 kilometres (268 mi) from Ekibastuz to Kokshetau. It is mounted on transmission towers with an average height of 60 metres (200 ft). The weight of the conductors is approximately 50,000 tons.

Moreover, the experimental transmission line in Beliy Rast, near Dmitrov in Moscow region, was also designed to be operated at 1150 kV, but later was disassembled.

History

In 1973, the Soviet Union built a three-phase UHV experimental test circuit over a kilometre long at the Beily Rast substation. In 1978, a 270 km UHV test line for industrial use was built from Sharypovo to Novokuznetsk. In 1985, this test line became part of the Ekibastuz–Kokshetau line. At the time, no other country had an operational UHV line of this voltage, although several other countries were running experiments. As of 2014, it is still the case that China is the only other country with an operational UHV line of 1000 kV AC or more (Liu, p. 21, 2014).

Sites

Name	Coordinates
Chelyabinsk	54°59′29″N 60°40′40″E
Kostanay	53°4′37″N 63°20′46″E
Kokshetau	53°19′4″N 68°55′02″E
Ekibastuz	51°52′51″N 75°12′59″E
Barnaul	53°34′28″N 83°40′4″E
Sharypovo	55°26′11″N 89°04′25″E

The line runs from Barnaul in western Siberia to Chelyabinsk just east of the Urals. Both end points are in the territory of the Russian Federation although the bulk of the line is within the borders of Kazakhstan (OECF, p. 45, 1998).

References

• Research Institute of Development Assistance (Japan), Regional cooperation in central Asia : focusing on infrastructure development, The Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund, Japan, Research Papers No. 27, July 1998 OCLC 40657952.
• Liu, Zhenya, Ultra-high Voltage AC/DC Grids, Academic Press, 2014 ISBN 0128023600.