
TS Conductor (TS), a company producing high-efficiency conductors for electricity grids, announced the close of $60 million in funding to open a second US production facility, which is part of the company’s plan to increase production of its conductors in response to “strong” customer demand.
The company’s existing ISO-certified facility in Southern California is operating at near-full capacity, and plans are being considered to increase this facility’s output in the near term. The bulk of this funding round, however, will support an expansion east of the Mississippi River, TS said.
TS Conductor says its high-performance conductors are suitable for both new build and reconductoring projects. The company argues its conductors can triple capacity during peak electricity generation and demand, as well as provide up to a 50% decrease in line losses during normal operation.
The TS product also aims to address some of the bigger challenges presented by the last generation of advanced conductors: its conductors can be installed with the same tools and techniques line crews have used for decades with ACSR conductors, with no additional training required. Additionally, with the conductor’s low-sag properties, CapEx costs can be reduced for new build projects, which can be designed with fewer and shorter towers, the company said.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which oversees interstate electricity transmission, recently released Order No. 1920, which TS said has led to greater interest in advanced conductors. The order requires transmission providers to consider grid-enhancing technologies, including advanced conductors, in their long-term planning.
Last year, TS opened a U.S. manufacturing facility in Huntington Beach, California, with a capacity to produce up to 5,000 miles of conductors per year. The company’s products previously had been manufactured under contract at a facility in China.
Utilities across North America have already deployed TS technology, including Montana-Dakota Utilities Company (MDU), Arizona Public Service (APS), and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). TS Conductor was founded in 2018 by Rulong Chen, James Huang and Jason Huang, based on James Huang’s patented conductor design.