Tiny explosions are part of power line project mixJul 2 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Steve McConnell The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.Wayne County residents will soon hear a sound like the crash of thunder in their neighborhoods. Later this month, residents living near the route of the $1 billion-plus Susquehanna-Roseland power line project will occasionally hear a noise comparable to a loud thunderclap or commercial firework as PPL Electric Utilities uses a new technique to splice together miles of power line. The technique involves setting off small implosive charges to connect one power line wire to another. Because power line is brought to the construction site in separate spools of limited length, it must be spliced together to make the connection. PPL "wanted to give people a heads-up a couple of weeks in advance," spokesman Paul Wirth said. This next phase of the project is expected to first get under way in South Canaan Twp. in a few weeks. Precise timetables are not known, Mr. Wirth said. The utility will keep setting off the charges through November in Wayne County as the project moves east to the Lake Wallenpaupack area. There will be typically one or two bangs a day for three to four days at each stage and place of the project, Mr. Wirth said. After PPL finishes the South Canaan to Lake Wallenpaupack section, the utility will move to other parts of the route. Called implosive splicing, the technique will be used in most areas of the power line's construction through early 2015. The Susquehanna-Roseland project cuts over mountaintops and along a large swath of Northeast Pennsylvania, including Lackawanna County. The project, a high-powered upgrade of an existing power line, will run from the Berwick area to Roseland, N.J. The new power is needed to meet increased energy demand and maintain power reliability, according to PPL. Contact the writer: smcconnell@timesshamrock.com; @smcconnellTT on Twitter http://www.energycentral.com/functional/news/news_detail.cfm?did=29176896 |