EDF installing fibre along electricity cables How?

Technology
1

We are most intrigued. Over the last few days a temporary road has been laid across the field below us and the field beyond to bring vehicles and equipment into the proximity of an electricity pylon. The farmer whose field has been crossed says EDF is installing optical fibre to run alongside their electricity cables - for their own use.

Two huge rolls of what we assume is optical fibre are now in the field and the fibre stretches to the pylon. There is a wheel at the bottom of the pylon and another one that is up at the top, alongside the electricity cables. We can see the fibre is going from the roll on the ground, to the bottom wheel on the pylon, and then up to the top.

But how, then does the fibre travel from one pylon to another? Has anyone else witnessed anything like this? Or know from your own experience how this works?

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I assume supported by the earth connection which is the single cable at the top running from population to pylon.

3

It would depend on topography, but if there is clear countryside between two pylons they probably put a mirror image arrangement of pulleys on the next pylon & feed a leader rope from there back to the first pylon, then pull the fibre across.

Clearly if roads etc. are in the way they need other methods. When they installed new THT pylons not far from us a few years ago they used helicopters for some bits, but that was much heavier stuff than fibre.

When you say ‘pylon’ do you mean very large stuff, or just the slightly bigger than average telegraph pole type that run the 12kV grid i.e. the high tension bit just before it becomes domestic voltage? By your description of the temporary access being created it does sound like it’s probably on the more grown up side of things.

If no one here can answer definitely I guess we can rely on you to post a video when it does happen…?

4

I thought the reason that fibre wasn’t strung from EdF pylons was twofold:

  1. EdF doesn’t like others touching their stuff.
  2. The distance between the larger reinforced concrete pylons is often considerably larger than even the modern fibre is specified to endure.
5

This is EDF for EDF apparently - so no third party involved.

On inspection last night I an see they are running two wires up the pylon. In other words the fibre is being supported on a heavier duty wire.

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6

That makes sense as the new composite poles used for fibre down here are spaced to what the self-supporting fibre cables can tolerate which is around 45-50 metres.

7

Which is pretty much what you’d expect - which is why I wondered if they were using the existing earth cable to support the fibre.

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All of this makes sense, but what I’m still struggling with is to understand how the fibre /supporting wire is being fed from one pylon to the next. Is it possible that there a small motor, or something that is self-propelling along the existing earth cable and drawing the fibre/supporting wire after it?

The engineers are only at “our” pylon in the adjacent field - there is not sign of anyone at the next pylon on the crest of the hill on the opposite side of our valley. So the fibre/support must be self-propelling somehow.

I may have to go and ask on Monday (if they let me anywhere near). I’m not sure I have the vocabulary!

9

Here’s one way

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10

Thanks Billy, how interesting. Not what these guys are doing, but looks like an ingenious solution.