1

OPGW Our Experience in KESC

Syed Abrar Ali, Bilal Ahmad Alvi and Muhammad Asif

Abstract-- KESC is an electrical utility company involved in

Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Energy in
Karachi, Pakistan. The total number of consumers of KESC to
date is around 2.0 million. KESC started installing OPGW for
providing data to the SCADA system in 1998 and till year 2006
around 151 km OPGW is installed. These OPGW cables connect
the SCADA system to 8 power generating stations including the
KESC generation stations and 56 grid stations of IPPs. In the
course of testing and monitoring the installed OPGW, it was
revealed that the OPGW installed at various transmission lines
have been damaged. On close inspection of the samples taken
from the damaged OPGW, it is found that the outer OPGW layer
was almost melted and strings were broken. The optical fiber
cable inside OPGW was also tested with the OTDR and it was
also found broken. Therefore, it is concluded that the outer
OPGW layer could not stand the voltage introduced due to the
lighting strokes. In addition, the distance between the hanging
OPGW was not enough to withstand the million of volts and a
flash occur between OPGW. In this paper, the selection criteria
of OPGW cables based on engineering specification are
discussed. This paper also discusses the methods and
standardized test procedures for OPGW cables. Finally, the
replacement strategy of the conventional ground wire by OPGW
is presented.
Index Terms OPGW, SCADA, Transmission line, OTDR,
Power line carrier

I. INTRODUCTION

he Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) is a public

sector utility responsible for providing and maintaining
adequate electricity generation, transmission and
distribution of electrical energy to meet the power requirement
to 2.0 million consumers within its licensed area of 6026 sq.
km, which includes metropolitan Karachi and parts of districts
Thatta (Sindh) and Lasbela (Balouchistan).
The generation systems to produce adequate electricity are all
thermal. These thermal power stations are owned by both
KESC (public) and private investors. The total generation
capacity in KESC system is around 2157 MW, in which 1756
MW belongs to KESC, 264 MW to IPPs and 137 MW to
Pakistan Atomic Commission. At present, the KESC
generating stations are located at four different locations.

Syed Abrar Ali is the design and maintenance engineer in the field of
electrical power transmission and distribution. (E-mail: abrarontario
@yahoo.com)
Bilal Ahmad Alvi is the chairman and professor in Electronic Engineering
Department, Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi,
Pakistan. (E-mail: alvibilal@hotmail.com)
Muhammad Asif is the researcher in Electronic Engineering Department,
Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan. (email: muasif@ssuet.edu.pk).

The transmission system comprises network of 220kV, 132kV

and 66kV transmission lines of about 1100 circuit kilometers.
These transmission lines interconnect 52 substations with total
transformation capacity of around 6000MVA which step down
the voltage to distribution level.
The KESC distribution system supplies power at 11 kV from
50 grid stations. It is distributed to about 20 million consumers
through a network of 11 kV (MV) and 400/230V (LV) feeders
and 11 kV/400V substation/pole mounted transformers.
A.

TRANSMISSION SYSTEM

At present, the 220kV transmission lines provide the

backbone system for transferring power from the Bin Qasim
Thermal Power Station, BQTPS (1260 MW) and serve as
interface point with WAPDA/NTDC system (KDA 220kV
grid station) to 220/132kV bulk supply points. In order to
provide required transfer capability and improve reliability of
supply, a 220kV ring has been constructed around Karachi
metropolitan.
The 132kV transmission lines including both overhead and
underground, transfer power from the 220/132kV bulk supply
points and generating stations connected at 132kV to
132/1lkV load grid stations. A 66kV transmission system also
exists, which is planned to be gradually replaced with the
132kV systems. The single line diagram of the existing KESC
power transmission network is shown in figure 1.
B.

KESC OPGW SYSTEM

KESC started to replace the conventional wire by OPGW

cable along its overhead transmission line in 1998 and till year
2006 around 151 km OPGW is installed. The OPGW (Optical
Ground Wire) cable is composite cable which serves both as a
conventional overhead ground wire with the added benefit of
providing optical fiber communication. The typical structure
of OPGW cable is shown in figure 2. The idea of installing
OPGW is to form a digital fiber optic ring backbone for the
Load Dispatch Centre (LDC).
The existing telecommunication network is based primarily
on power line carrier (PLC) communication overhead lines,
underground
power
cables,
combination
of
overhead/underground power cables and HF cables to link the
grid station with existing LDC. This network needed to be
upgrade to form a main digital backbone ring on fiber optic.
The required digital ring can be achieved by combination of
fiber optic, digital microwave and HDSL link. The
augmentation can be achieved by the implementation of new
fiber optic link (OPGW). The functional requirements of
telecommunication networks are:
Routing of data channels between RTUs and LDC/DCC

Figure 1: KESC power transmission network [5]

Routing of speech channels between grid/power stations

and LDC/DCC
During the stage of OPGW cable selection, it is important
to review the standards, manufacturers recommendations in
light of particular needs of the project, such as, optical
requirements of fibers as well as physical, electrical and
mechanical characteristics of the wires. In this paper, the
process of selection of the OPGW cable based on
engineerings specifications, methods and standardized test
procedures are described.

Aluminum-Clad Steel wires and B398 for Aluminum-Alloy

6201-T81 wire for electrical purposes[3, 4]. Standard
specification for optical Fiber Cables and Colour Coding are
based on IEC 60794 and EIA598A. Additionally, the
following standards are had like reference: IEC 68-2-14 for
Joint Boxes/Hardware Fitting, EN 60529 for protection class
of cabinets and IEC 61300-2-36 for Fiber Optic
interconnection devices & passive component-basic test and
measurement procedure.

II. ENGINEERING SPECIFICATION FOR OPGW CABLE

The engineering specifications for OPGW cable conform
the basics for its selection, cover the necessary requirements
for design and manufacturer tests of these cables in
accordance with the recommendations and standards.
Following section will discuss these specifications briefly.
A. Standards and Recommendations
KESC specifications for OPGW cable are based principally
on IEEE Standard 1138-1994 for construction of composite
fiber optic overhead ground wire (OPGW) for use in electric
utility power line [1]. There are several standards that specify
the construction and specifications, such as ITU-T G.652
recommends for optical fiber characteristics [2], ASTM B415
and B416 are standard specification for hard-drawn

Figure 2: Construction diagram of OPGW cable [5]

B. Design, Material and General Characteristic of OPGW

The designs of OPGW cable proposed by the
manufacturers must have following characteristics:
B.1 Material of the OPGW
The material(s) used for the manufacture of the OPGW
should be of highest grade free from defects and imperfections
conforming to the requirements of the latest issue of the
relevant standards. The materials used will be Aluminum-Clad
Steel (ACS) and/or Aluminum Alloy (AA) wires for outer
conducting layer (armor) and inner conducting layer (if
additional layer is used).
B.2 Cable Construction
The proposed OPGW design shall comprise:
Fiber optic unit designed to house and protect the optical
fibers from damage to forces such as crushing, bending,
twisting, tensile stress and moisture. It shall be tubular. The
tubular unit can constitute the axis of cable as shown in figure
(2). The tube can be made of aluminum or stainless steel
Outer metallic part (armor) designed to function as the
conventional shield wire and to protect additionally, the fiber
optic unit.
The fiber optic unit and the outer stranded metallic
conductors shall serve together as an integral unit to protect
the optical fibers from degradation due to vibration and
galloping, wind and ice loadings, wide temperature variations,
lightning and fault currents as well as environmental effects
that may produce hydrogen.
B.3 Fiber Optic Unit
The buffer that surrounded to optical fibers for protection from
physical damage during fabrication may be of two types, loose
buffer and tight buffer. KESC specifies for OPGW cables a
buffer construction of loose type. It favors the performance
and the useful life of the optical fibers. The buffer tube(s)
made of appropriate material to withstand temperatures of
200C under short-circuit current without continuous
degradation. The buffer tube shall not be on the outer layer in
order to be protected from external mechanical forces and
electrical disturbances. Inside the buffer tube, the fibers shall
be loosely housed in a waterproof gel to prevent water
penetration and protection against friction. The housing of the
buffer tubes shall ensure protection against tensile and
crushing forces on the buffer tubes and optical fibers. The
maximum number of fibers in one tube shall not be more than
eight.
B.4 Color Coding
The optical fibers will have to be identified by means of a
code of color. Each fiber in a tube shall be distinguishable
from other fibers in the same tube by means of color coding in
accordance with EIA-598A.
B.5 Stranded Metallic Wires (Armor)
The OPGW shall be stranded with Aluminum-Clad Steel
wires (ACS). However, if more than one layer is used,
Aluminum-Alloy (AA) may be used in the outer layer. The
basic construction shall have bare concentric lay stranded
metallic wires. The stranded wires may be of multiple layers

with a combination of various metallic wires within each

layer. The direction of lay shall be reversed in successive
layers. The wires shall be stranded such that when the OPGW
cable is cut the individual wires can be regrouped and held in
place.
B.6 Sag and Tension Limits
Physical design of the proposed OPGW for installation on new
overhead transmission lines shall have sag and tension
characteristics similar to the 9.l5mm diameter, extra high
strength, 7 strands, and galvanized steel overhead shield wire
for the spans.
B.7 Cable Characteristics
From the environmental point of view, the OPGW will be
exposed to a harsh environment that needs to be taken into
consideration:
Max. outdoor summer temperature: + 700C
Max. summer relative humidity: approaching 100% sand and
wind storms.
The main features of the cable shall be:
Number of fibers
16
Outer diameter
12mm
Breaking load
7000Kg
Short circuit current for 1 sec.
5kA for temp. rise from
20-200C
DC resistance at 20C
0,75 ohm/km
Minimum bending radius
200mm
(without fiber damage)
Nominal weight
460g/km
Inside the buffer tube the reserve length of fibers shall be at
least 0.45% against the linear length of the complete OPGW to
prevent the fibers from coming under stress.
C. Factory Tests for OPGW Cable and Fiber
KESC specifies acceptance tests, which in general
correspond with design tests of the IEEE Standard 1138-1994.
OPGW shall successfully pass the following tests:
C.1 A. Short Circuit Test
The cable shall be subjected to the short circuit test as
described in IEEE 1138-1994. An increase in attenuation
greater than 1.0dB/km at 1550 nm shall constitute a failure.
Bridging or breaking of the strands shall also constitute a
failure. The maximum temperature attained during short
circuit testing shall not exceed 200C.
C.2 Aeolian Vibration Test
The cable shall be subject to the Aeolian vibration test
described in IEEE 1138-1994. An increase in attenuation
greater than 1.0dB/km at 1550 nm shall constitute failure.
C.3 Galloping Test
The cable shall be subjected to galloping test described in
IEEE 1138-1994. An increase in attenuation greater than
l.0dB/km at 1550nm shall constitute failure.

C.4 Sheave Wheel Test

The cable shall be subjected to a sheave wheel test as
described in IEEE 1138-1994. Any significant damage to the
OPGW core or strands in excess of 0.50mm shall constitute
failure. An increase in attenuation greater than 1.0dB/km at
1550nm shall also constitute failure.
C.5. Crush Test
The cable shall be subjected to a crush load of 1750N/cm
without significant damage to the optical core. The cable shall
be tested in accordance with IEEE 1138-1994. An increase in
attenuation greater than 0.10dB/km at 1550nm shall constitute
failure.
C.6 Impact Test
The cable shall be subjected to an impact test as described
in IEEE 1138-1994. An increase in attenuation greater than
0.10dB/km at 1550nm shall constitute failure.
C.7 Creep Test
The cable shall be subjected to creep test as described in
IEEE 1138-1994.
C.8 Strain Margin Test
A strain margin test shall be conducted on the cable to
determine the amount of strain that the cable can withstand
without placing strain on the optical fiber. The test shall be
conducted as described in IEEE 1138-1994. Any significant
fiber strain below 50% of the cable's rated breaking strength
shall constitute failure. The strain margin shall be above 50%
of the cable's rated breaking strength. The strain margin is
defined as the point at which the fiber strains at the same rate
as the cable.
C.9 Temperature Cycling Test
The cable shall be subjected to a temperature cycling test as
described in IEEE 1138-1994. An attenuation change greater
than 0.2dB/km at 1310nm and 1550nm shall constitute failure.
C.10 Tensile Test
With indicated over length of fiber and simultaneously
measured attenuation at B10nm and 1550nm.
C.11 Bending Test
Similar to DIN VDE 0472 Teil 232; the bending radius
shall be 25xouter diameter of OPGW and the test shall be
carried out successfully if the attenuation of the straightened
fiber is within the fiber standards limits.
C.12 Water Penetration Test
Similar to DIN VDE 0472 Teil 811 test shall be successful,
if no water is visible at the end of the tube after a period of24
hours.
C.13 Attenuation Test using OTDR
The fiber optic cable inside OPGW is test using OTDR as
described in IEEE 1138-1994.
C.14 Chromatic Dispersion Test
The cable shall be subjected to chromatic dispersion test as

described in IEEE 1138-1994.

III. PARTICULAR REQUIREMENTS OF THE PROJECT
After reviewing the engineering specification and
characteristics, the requirement of this project is replace the
present conventional ground wire by OPGW cable on
transmission live lines. This replacement will carried out in
the transmission live lines shown in table 1. Replacement of
existing ground wire and live-line installation of available
OPGW on the existing 220kV and 132kV power transmission
line, listed in table 1 shown in figure 3.
In order to carry out the replacement of the ground wire on
transmission lines shown in table 1, the following particular
requirements will have to be fulfilled:
- The new ground wire will have to guarantee the
mechanical, electrical and dimensional characteristics of the
conventional ground wire that is going to be replaced, that is,
the supports or structures will have to support the new
operating mechanical loads which will be performed by new
cable of OPGW type.
- The OPGW cables will have to fulfill with the parameters
of short circuit of the transmission lines where they will be
installed.
- The relation between breaking load of the cable and its
weight must be guarantees to fulfill with the required sags for
the stringing process without the cable tensions exceed the
maximum recommended every day stress by the manufacturer.
- The basic communicational requirements for the optical
fibers are the following ones:
fiber type:
single mode to ITU-T G.652
wavelength:
1310nm and 1550nm
max. attenuation:
0.4dB/km at 1310nm
0.25dB/km at I550nm
TABLE 1. OPGW CABLE OF KESC SYSTEM

Transmission line
Bin Qasim Thermal Power
Station (BQTPS) - Pipri West
Pipri West KDA
Korangi Creek - BQTPS
Korangi West -Gizri
Gizri -Queens Road
Valika- Surjani Town
Surjani Town - Gulshan
Maymar - KDA
KDA - Memon Goth
Gantry G2
CAA - Gantry G1
Gantry G2 - Landhi
Landhi - Korangi South Korangi Thermal Power
Station (KTPS)
Qayummabad - Korangi
South
Total

Voltage
KV
220

OPGW
Length km
10.9

220
220
132
132
132
132

35.5
3.3
7.4
7.0
7.1
9.7

132

19.2

132
132
132

3.4
15.3
15.0

132

17.2
151

Figure 3: Replacement of ground wire with OPGW [5]

max. splicing loss:

0.2dB
max. end-connector loss:
0.5dB
core diameter:
9/10m0.5m
cladding diameter:
125m2m
max. concentricity error:
1.0m
max. cladding non-circularity: 2%
max. chromatic dispersion: 4ps/nm.km at 1310nm
20ps/nm.km at 1550nm
cut-off wavelength:
<1270
mode field diameter:
8.l-9.7m
operational temperature range: -10 to + 700C

IV. OPGW CABLE SELECTION

The process of selection of the OPGW cable for the project
to replace the present conventional ground wire by OPGW
cable on KESCs transmission live lines begins with the
distribution of the engineering specifications to the selected
manufacturers so that selected manufacturers have the project
requirement. From the given specification, the manufacturer
submitted tender documents along with factory acceptance test
result. These documents are subjected to consideration of
KESC experts. Later KESC experts visited selected
manufacturer site and verified factory results in light of
engineering specification of OPGW set by KESC. Thus,
KESC assured that the design is adapted for its installation on
transmission live lines.
V. TYPICAL RESULTS OF FIBER AND SPLICE ATTENUATION
During the implementation of OPGW, fiber and splice
attenuation has been made in period of 1998-2006. These
results indicate that the attenuation does not exceed design
value of 4dB/km and 0.25dB/km at the wavelength of 1310nm
and 1550nm respectively. 75% values of splice attenuation do
not exceed typical design value of 0.2 dB per splice. All these
results are measured in Karachi where climate is moderate,

sunny, and have high humidity in some months. This enables

the designers to calculate correct parameters to improve the
transmission quality.
VI. MELTING AND BREAKING OF OPGW
In the course of testing and monitoring the installed
OPGW, it was found that various transmission lines were
melted and broken in 132kV. The damaged OPGW was
brought down and inspected. Apparently, these damages were
due to flashover as shown in figure 4. The outer layer of
OPGW strand melted and string were broken. The optical
fiber cable inside OPGW was also tested with OTDR and
most of fibers strand were found broken. It was initially
suspected that due to improper pole/tower grounding, the
damage might have occurred. The pole/tower grounding
resistance were measured and found within limit. It was then
assumed that these damages were caused by a lightning strike
[6]. The outer layer could not stand the voltage introduced to
the lighting strokes and the distance between the hanging
OPGW was not enough to withstand the million of volts and
flash occur between OPGW and some part of the transmission
lines.
VII. CONCLUSIONS
Main idea of this paper was to show that OPGW design and
implementation process is very complex, because some
unexpected problem could arise in exploitation circumstances
that are very difficult to understand in phase of solution
creation. Choice of material as well as OPGW construction
should be studied from very beginning of the design process,
taking into account local environmental conditions and taking
all necessary measures to eliminate potential problems. The
OPGW installed in KESC was tested by OTDR, the results
confirmed that it is within expectable values. Melting and
breaking of OPGW was also observed on various transmission
lines. It was assumed that this was caused by lighting strike
and the research is underway to investigate real case of

failures.

IX. BIOGRAPHIES
VIII. REFERENCE

[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]

[6]

IEEE Standard Construction of Composite Fiber Optic Overhead

Ground Wire (OPGW) for Use on Electric Utility Power Lines, IEEE
Standard 1138-1994, Mar. 1994.
Characteristics of a single-mode optical fibre and cable, ITU-T
Recommendation G.652, Jun. 2005.
Standard Specification for Hard-Drawn Aluminum-Clad Steel Wire,
ASTM Standard B 415, Mar. 1998.
Standard Specification for Concentric-Lay-Stranded Aluminum-Clad
Steel Conductors, ASTM Standard B 416, Mar. 1998.
KESC, Contract Documents for Design, Manufacture, Supply, Live Line
Installation, Testing and commissioning of OPGW and Associated
Hardware on Existing 220/132 kV Overhead Power Transmission Lines,
May 2006
Y. Goda, S. Yokoyama, S. Watanabe, T. Kawano, and S. Kanda,
Melting and Breaking Characteristics of OPGW Strands by Lightning,
IEEE Trans. on Power Delivery, vol.3, No. 4, October 2004

(a)

Syed Abrar Ali is born in Pakistan. He received his

B.E. degree from NED University of Engineering
and Technology in Electrical Engineering. He has
more than 30 year working experience in field of
electrical power transmission and distribution. He
has been an involved in the design, construction and
maintenance of overhead transmission lines and
electrical sub-stations. He was the chairman of the
Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers,
Pakistan (IEEEP).

Bilal Alvi was born in Pakistan. He received P.hD

degree from university of Salford, UK in 1993.
Currently, he is professor and chairman of Electronic
Engineering Department, Sir Syed University of
Engineering and Technology. His work has been in
the fabrication and characterization of the special
optical fiber and design and construction of small
satellites.

Muhammad Asif received B.S. degree in

Biomedical engineering from the Sir Syed
University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi,
Pakistan in 2003, and M.S. degree in Electrical and
Electronic Engineering from the Universiti Sains
Malaysia (USM) Malaysia, in 2007. He is working
as faculty member and researcher in the Department
of Electronic Engineering, Sir Syed University of
Engineering and Technology. His research addresses
the issues and problems of industrial automation,
navigation, mapping and design and implementation
of statistical control algorithm for autonomous robots.

(b)

(c)
Figure 4 Damage OPGW, string melted
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