Executive Summary 

Your transmission network faces a critical challenge: high-performance assets are currently constrained by legacy hardware. As local demands for electrification and data center load growth accelerate, electric utilities must prioritize solutions that maximize the value of existing rights-of-way. 

By deploying ClampStar® units across your existing Aluminum Conductor Steel Supported (ACSS) lines, your network can unlock substantial latent power capacity immediately. This document validates how addressing specific hardware bottlenecks can secure grid reliability for your customers using a time-tested, industry-proven solution. 

1. The Primary Bottleneck: Why Connectors Dictate Your Capacity 

While your ACSS conductors are engineered for high-temperature operation (maintaining tensile strength at 250°C), your network’s actual ampacity is likely capped by the thermal limitations of connectors (splices, suspension clamps, and deadends), which are typically rated for only 100°C to 125°C. 

This mismatch leaves valuable capacity stranded on your lines; the conductor can handle the increased load your customers need, but the legacy hardware cannot. 

2. A Systematic Approach to Local Constraints 

We recognize that your transmission circuits are complex systems with many limiting elements, such as substation transformers and switches. Historically, uprating studies may have overlooked connectors because they were the most severe bottleneck. 

By deploying ClampStar to permanently resolve this primary bottleneck on your lines, we enable your engineering team to shift its focus. Once the thermal restrictions of line splices and clamps are removed, you can systematically address secondary constraints at the substation level. ClampStar clears the path for a holistic review, allowing you to fully utilize the potential of your specific infrastructure. 

3. Proven Reliability for Your Ratepayers 

Unlike experimental technologies that introduce new risks to your grid, ClampStar is a mature solution with a track record of stability. First introduced in 2008 and deployed globally for over 18 years, with hundreds of thousands of units installed and zero reported failures, it offers the operational certainty required for your critical infrastructure decisions. 

4. Engineering Validation: Protecting Your Specific Assets 

The ClampStar assembly is engineered to function reliably for the entire remaining life of the conductor it protects. 

• Cooler Operation: Empirical Class AA testing confirms ClampStar units operate significantly cooler than the conductor itself (documented at 126.3°C cooler than control conductors in transmission applications). 
• Safety Margin: Because the unit operates well below the conductor’s thermal limit, even during catastrophic overload events, it eliminates the risk of thermal degradation on your lines. 

5. Immediate Value for Your Service Area 

Regulatory bodies and industry leaders are pushing for Grid Enhancing Technologies (GETs) to extract value without the delays of new construction. ClampStar allows [Local Utility Name] to uprate lines from ~100°C to 250°C+ without the need for new towers, difficult permitting processes, or expanded rights-of-way. This effectively doubles the usable ampacity of your existing brownfield assets. 

Conclusion 

You already possess the conductor capacity to meet growing local demand; you simply lack the connectivity to utilize it. Installing ClampStar is a scientifically validated method to bridge this gap for your network. It transforms your thermally limited lines into high-capacity assets, delivering the speed, safety, and reliability your community expects. 

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