Transmission tower

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Transmission tower

A transmission tower

Type Structure, lattice tower and overhead power line

First production 20th century

A transmission tower or power tower (alternatively electricity pylon or variations) is a

tall structure, usually a steel lattice tower, used to support an overhead power line.
They are used in high-voltage AC and DC systems, and come in a wide variety of shapes
and sizes. Typical height ranges from 15 to 55 m (49 to 180 ft),[1] though the tallest are the
370 m (1,214 ft) towers of a 2,700 m (8,858 ft) span of Zhoushan Island Overhead Powerline
Tie. In addition to steel, other materials may be used, including concrete and wood.
There are four major categories of transmission towers:[1] suspension, terminal, tension,
and transposition. Some transmission towers combine these basic functions. Transmission
towers and their overhead power lines are often considered to be a form of visual pollution.
Methods to reduce the visual effect include undergrounding.

Contents

 1Naming
 2High voltage AC transmission towers
 3High voltage DC transmission towers
 4Railway traction line towers
 5Towers for different types of currents
 6Tower designs
o 6.1Shape
 6.1.1One circuit
 6.1.2Two circuits
  6.1.3Four circuits
o 6.2Support structures
o 6.3Materials
 6.3.1Tubular steel
 6.3.2Lattice
 6.3.3Wood
 6.3.4Concrete
o 6.4Special designs
 7Assembly
 8Markers
 9Tower functions
o 9.1Cross arms and conductor arrangement
 10Other features
o 10.1Insulators
o 10.2Stockbridge dampers
o 10.3Arcing horns
o 10.4Physical security
 11Notable electricity transmission towers
 12See also
 13References
 14External links

Naming[edit]

A line worker on a tower

"Transmission tower" is the name for the structure used in the industry in the United States
and some other English-speaking countries. The term "pylon" comes from the basic shape of
the structure, an obelisk-like structure which tapers toward the top, and the name is mostly
used in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe in everyday colloquial speech. This term is
used infrequently in most regions of the United States, as the word "pylon" is commonly used
for many other things, mostly for traffic cones. The use of "pylon" is common in the Midwest,
including areas such as Cincinnati and Chicago.

High voltage AC transmission towers[edit]

Single-circuit three-phase transmission line

Three-phase electric power systems are used for high voltage (66- or 69-kV and above) and
extra-high voltage (110- or 115-kV and above; most often 138- or 230-kV and above in
contemporary systems) AC transmission lines. In some European countries, e.g. Germany,
Spain or Czech Republic, smaller lattice towers are used for medium voltage (above 10 kV)
transmission lines too. The towers must be designed to carry three (or multiples of three)
conductors. The towers are usually steel lattices or trusses (wooden structures are used in
Canada, Germany, and Scandinavia in some cases) and the insulators are either glass or
porcelain discs or composite insulators using silicone rubber or EPDM rubber material
assembled in strings or long rods whose lengths are dependent on the line voltage and
environmental conditions.
Typically, one or two ground wires, also called "guard" wires, are placed on top to intercept
lightning and harmlessly divert it to ground.
Towers for high- and extra-high voltage are usually designed to carry two or more electric
circuits (with very rare exceptions, only one circuit for 500-kV and higher).[citation needed] If a line is
constructed using towers designed to carry several circuits, it is not necessary to install all
the circuits at the time of construction. Indeed, for economic reasons, some transmission
lines are designed for three (or four) circuits, but only two (or three) circuits are initially
installed.
Some high voltage circuits are often erected on the same tower as 110 kV lines. Paralleling
circuits of 380 kV, 220 kV and 110 kV-lines on the same towers is common. Sometimes,
especially with 110 kV circuits, a parallel circuit carries traction lines for railway electrification.

High voltage DC transmission towers[edit]

HVDC distance tower near the terminus of the Nelson River Bipole adjacent to Dorsey Converter Station
near Rosser, Manitoba, Canada — August 2005

High-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission lines are

either monopolar or bipolar systems. With bipolar systems, a conductor arrangement with
one conductor on each side of the tower is used. On some schemes, the ground conductor is
used as electrode line or ground return. In this case, it had to be installed with insulators
equipped with surge arrestors on the pylons in order to prevent electrochemical corrosion of
the pylons. For single-pole HVDC transmission with ground return, towers with only one
conductor can be used. In many cases, however, the towers are designed for later
conversion to a two-pole system. In these cases, often conductors on both sides of the tower
are installed for mechanical reasons. Until the second pole is needed, it is either used as
electrode line or joined in parallel with the pole in use. In the latter case, the line from the
converter station to the earthing (grounding) electrode is built as underground cable, as
overhead line on a separate right of way or by using the ground conductors.
Electrode line towers are used in some HVDC schemes to carry the power line from the
converter station to the grounding electrode. They are similar to structures used for lines with
voltages of 10–30 kV, but normally carry only one or two conductors.
Railway traction line towers[edit]

Tension tower with phase transposition of a powerline for single-phase AC traction current (110 kV, 16.67 Hz)
near Bartholomä, Germany

Towers used for single-phase AC railway traction lines are similar in construction to those
towers used for 110 kV three-phase lines. Steel tube or concrete poles are also often used
for these lines. However, railway traction current systems are two-pole AC systems, so
traction lines are designed for two conductors (or multiples of two, usually four, eight, or
twelve). These are usually arranged on one level, whereby each circuit occupies one half of
the cross arm. For four traction circuits, the arrangement of the conductors is in two levels
and for six electric circuits, the arrangement of the conductors is in three levels.

Towers for different types of currents[edit]

Pylon in Sweden about 1918.

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AC circuits of different frequency and phase-count, or AC and DC circuits, may be installed

on the same tower. Usually all circuits of such lines have voltages of 50 kV and more.
However, there are some lines of this type for lower voltages. For example, towers used by
both railway traction power circuits and the general three-phase AC grid.
Two very short sections of line carry both AC and DC power circuits. One set of such towers
is near the terminal of HVDC Volgograd-Donbass on Volga Hydroelectric Power Station. The
other are two towers south of Stenkullen, which carry one circuit of HVDC Konti-Skan and
üne circuit of the three-phase AC line Stenkullen-Holmbakullen.
Towers carrying AC circuits and DC electrode lines exist in a section of the powerline
between Adalph Static Inverter Plant and Brookston the pylons carry the electrode line of
HVDC Square Butte.
The electrode line of HVDC CU at the converter station at Coal Creek Station uses on a short
section the towers of two AC lines as support.
The overhead section of the electrode line of Pacific DC Intertie from Sylmar Converter
Station to the grounding electrode in the Pacific Ocean near Will Rogers State Beach is also
installed on AC pylons. It runs from Sylmar East Converter Station to Southern California
Edison Malibu Substation, where the overhead line section ends.
In Germany, Austria and Switzerland some transmission towers carry both public AC grid
circuits and railway traction power in order to better use rights of way.

Tower designs[edit]
Shape[edit]

Guyed "Delta" transmission tower (a combination of guyed "V" and "Y") in Nevada.

Different shapes of transmission towers are typical for different countries. The shape also
depends on voltage and number of circuits.
One circuit[edit]
Delta pylons are the most common design for single circuit lines, because of their stability.
They have a V-shaped body with a horizontal arm on the top, which forms an inverted Delta.
Larger Delta towers usually use two guard cables.
Portal pylons are widely used in Ireland, Scandinavia and Canada. They stand on two legs
with one cross arm, which gives them a H-shape. Up to 110 kV they often were made from
wood, but higher voltage lines use steel pylons.
Smaller single circuit pylons may have two small cross arms on one side and one on the
other.
Two circuits[edit]
One level pylons only have one cross arm carrying 3 cables on each side. Sometimes they
have an additional cross arm for the protection cables. They are frequently used close to
airports due to their reduced height.
Typical T-shaped 110 kV tower from the former GDR.

Danube pylons or Donaumasten got their name from a line built in 1927 next to the Danube
river. They are the most common design in central European countries like Germany or
Poland. They have two cross arms, the upper arm carries one and the lower arm carries two
cables on each side. Sometimes they have an additional cross arm for the protection cables.
Ton shaped towers are the most common design, they have 3 horizontal levels with one
cable very close to the pylon on each side. In the United Kingdom the second level is wider
than the other ones while in the United States all cross arms have the same width.

A close up of the wires attached to the pylon, showing the various parts annotated.

Four circuits[edit]
Christmas-tree-shaped towers for 4 or even 6 circuits are common in Germany and have 3
cross arms where the highest arm has each one cable, the second has two cables and the
third has three cables on each side. The cables on the third arm usually carry circuits for
lower high voltage.
Support structures[edit]

Danube pole for 110 kV in Germany, built in the 1930s

Towers may be self-supporting and capable of resisting all forces due to conductor loads,
unbalanced conductors, wind and ice in any direction. Such towers often have approximately
square bases and usually four points of contact with the ground.
A semi-flexible tower is designed so that it can use overhead grounding wires to transfer
mechanical load to adjacent structures, if a phase conductor breaks and the structure is
subject to unbalanced loads. This type is useful at extra-high voltages, where phase
conductors are bundled (two or more wires per phase). It is unlikely for all of them to break at
once, barring a catastrophic crash or storm.
A guyed mast has a very small footprint and relies on guy wires in tension to support the
structure and any unbalanced tension load from the conductors. A guyed tower can be made
in a V shape, which saves weight and cost.[2]
Materials[edit]
Tubular steel[edit]

Steel tube tower next to older lattice tower near Wagga Wagga, Australia

Poles made of tubular steel generally are assembled at the factory and placed on the right-
of-way afterward. Because of its durability and ease of manufacturing and installation, many
utilities in recent years prefer the use of monopolar steel or concrete towers over lattice steel
for new power lines and tower replacements.[citation needed]
In Germany steel tube pylons are also established predominantly for medium voltage lines, in
addition, for high voltage transmission lines or two electric circuits for operating voltages by
up to 110 kV. Steel tube pylons are also frequently used for 380 kV lines in France, and for
500 kV lines in the United States.
Lattice[edit]
See also: Lattice tower
A lattice tower is a framework construction made of steel or aluminium sections. Lattice
towers are used for power lines of all voltages, and are the most common type for high-
voltage transmission lines. Lattice towers are usually made of galvanized steel. Aluminium is
used for reduced weight, such as in mountainous areas where structures are placed by
helicopter. Aluminium is also used in environments that would be corrosive to steel. The
extra material cost of aluminium towers will be offset by lower installation cost. Design of
aluminium lattice towers is similar to that for steel, but must take into account aluminium's
lower Young's modulus.
A lattice tower is usually assembled at the location where it is to be erected. This makes very
tall towers possible, up to 100 m (328 ft) (and in special cases even higher, as in the Elbe
crossing 1 and Elbe crossing 2). Assembly of lattice steel towers can be done using a crane.
Lattice steel towers are generally made of angle-profiled steel beams (L- or T-beams). For
very tall towers, trusses are often used.
Wood[edit]
Wood and metal crossbar

Wooden lattice transmission tower in inle Lake (Myanmar).

Simple wooden transmission tower in Mongolia

Wood is a material which is limited in use in high-voltage transmission. Because of the

limited height of available trees, the maximum height of wooden pylons is limited to
approximately 30 m (98 ft). Wood is rarely used for lattice framework. Instead, they are used
to build multi-pole structures, such as H-frame and K-frame structures. The voltages they
carry are also limited, such as in other regions, where wood structures only carry voltages up
to approximately 30 kV.
In countries such as Canada or the United States, wooden towers carry voltages up to 345
kV; these can be less costly than steel structures and take advantage of the surge voltage
insulating properties of wood.[2] As of 2012, 345 kV lines on wood towers are still in use in the
US and some are still being constructed on this technology.[3][4] Wood can also be used for
temporary structures while constructing a permanent replacement.
Concrete[edit]

A reinforced concrete pole in Germany

Concrete pylons are used in Germany normally only for lines with operating voltages below
30 kV. In exceptional cases, concrete pylons are used also for 110 kV lines, as well as for the
public grid or for the railway traction current grid. In Switzerland, concrete pylons with heights
of up to 59.5 metres (world's tallest pylon of prefabricated concrete at Littau) are used for 380
kV overhead lines. Concrete poles are also used in Canada and the United States.
Concrete pylons, which are not prefabricated, are also used for constructions taller than 60
metres. One example is a 66 m (217 ft) tall pylon of a 380 kV powerline near Reuter West
Power Plant in Berlin. Such pylons look like industrial chimneys.[citation needed] In China some
pylons for lines crossing rivers were built of concrete. The tallest of these pylons belong to
the Yangtze Powerline crossing at Nanjing with a height of 257 m (843 ft).
Special designs[edit]
Sometimes (in particular on steel lattice towers for the highest voltage levels) transmitting
plants are installed, and antennas mounted on the top above or below the overhead ground
wire. Usually these installations are for mobile phone services or the operating radio of the
power supply firm, but occasionally also for other radio services, like directional radio. Thus
transmitting antennas for low-power FM radio and television transmitters were already
installed on pylons. On the Elbe Crossing 1 tower, there is a radar facility belonging to
the Hamburg water and navigation office.
For crossing broad valleys, a large distance between the conductors must be maintained to
avoid short-circuits caused by conductor cables colliding during storms. To achieve this,
sometimes a separate mast or tower is used for each conductor. For crossing wide rivers and
straits with flat coastlines, very tall towers must be built due to the necessity of a large height
clearance for navigation. Such towers and the conductors they carry must be equipped with
flight safety lamps and reflectors.
Two well-known wide river crossings are the Elbe Crossing 1 and Elbe Crossing 2. The latter
has the tallest overhead line masts in Europe, at 227 m (745 ft) tall. In Spain, the overhead
line crossing pylons in the Spanish bay of Cádiz have a particularly interesting construction.
The main crossing towers are 158 m (518 ft) tall with one crossarm atop a frustum framework
construction. The longest overhead line spans are the crossing of the Norwegian Sognefjord
(4,597 m (15,082 ft) between two masts) and the Ameralik Span in Greenland (5,376 m
(17,638 ft)). In Germany, the overhead line of the EnBW AG crossing of the Eyachtal has the
longest span in the country at 1,444 m (4,738 ft).
In order to drop overhead lines into steep, deep valleys, inclined towers are occasionally
used. These are utilized at the Hoover Dam, located in the United States, to descend the cliff
walls of the Black Canyon of the Colorado. In Switzerland, a pylon inclined around 20
degrees to the vertical is located near Sargans, St. Gallens. Highly sloping masts are used
on two 380 kV pylons in Switzerland, the top 32 meters of one of them being bent by 18
degrees to the vertical.
Power station chimneys are sometimes equipped with crossbars for fixing conductors of the
outgoing lines. Because of possible problems with corrosion by flue gases, such
constructions are very rare.
A new type of pylon, called Wintrack pylons, will be used in the Netherlands starting in 2010.
The pylons were designed as a minimalist structure by Dutch architects Zwarts and Jansma.
The use of physical laws for the design made a reduction of the magnetic field possible. Also,
the visual impact on the surrounding landscape is reduced.[5]
Two clown-shaped pylons appear in Hungary, on both sides of the M5 motorway,
near Újhartyán.[6]
The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, U.S., and American Electric Power paired to
conceive, design, and install goal post-shaped towers located on both sides of Interstate
77 near the hall as part of a power infrastructure upgrade.[7]
The Mickey Pylon is a Mickey Mouse shaped transmission tower on the side of Interstate 4,
near Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL.

128 meters high Hyperboloid pylon in Russia

River Elbe Crossing 2 in Germany

Colorful "designer" tower titled Steps of Antti in Finland

 

Wintrack pylons in the Netherlands

The Mickey Pylon in Florida, U.S.

Assembly[edit]

Cable riggers atop a pylon engaged in adding a fiber optic data cable wound around the top tower stay cable. The
cable (SkyWrap) is wound on by a traveling machine, which rotates a cable drum around the support cable as it goes.
This travels under its own power from tower to tower, where it is dismantled and hoisted across to the opposite side.
In the picture, the motor unit has been moved across but the cable drum is still on the arrival side.

Before transmission towers are even erected, prototype towers are tested at tower testing
stations. There are a variety of ways they can then be assembled and erected:

Temporary guyed pylon next to a commenced new tower

  They can be assembled horizontally on the ground and erected
by push-pull cable. This method is rarely used because of the
large assembly area needed.
 They can be assembled vertically (in their final upright position).
Very tall towers, such as the Yangtze River Crossing, were
assembled in this way.
 A jin-pole crane can be used to assemble lattice towers.[8] This is
also used for utility poles.
 Helicopters can serve as aerial cranes for their assembly in
areas with limited accessibility. Towers can also be assembled
elsewhere and flown to their place on the transmission right-of-
way.[9] Helicopters may also be used for transporting
disassembled towers for scrapping.[10]

Markers[edit]

A typical tower identification tag

The International Civil Aviation Organization issues recommendations on markers for towers
and the conductors suspended between them. Certain jurisdictions will make these
recommendations mandatory, for example that certain power lines must have overhead wire
markers placed at intervals, and that warning lights be placed on any sufficiently high
towers,[11] this is particularly true of transmission towers which are in close vicinity to airports.
Electricity pylons often have an identification tag marked with the name of the line (either the
terminal points of the line or the internal designation of the power company) and the tower
number. This makes identifying the location of a fault to the power company that owns the
tower easier.
Transmission towers, much like other steel lattice towers including broadcasting or cellphone
towers, are marked with signs which discourage public access due to the danger of the high
voltage. Often this is accomplished with a sign warning of the high voltage. At other times,
the entire access point to the transmission corridor is marked with a sign.

Tower functions[edit]

Three-phase alternating current transmission towers over water, near Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

Tower structures can be classified by the way in which they support the line
conductors.[12] Suspension structures support the conductor vertically using suspension
insulators. Strain structures resist net tension in the conductors and the conductors attach to
the structure through strain insulators. Dead-end structures support the full weight of the
conductor and also all the tension in it, and also use strain insulators.
Structures are classified as tangent suspension, angle suspension, tangent strain, angle
strain, tangent dead-end and angle dead-end.[2] Where the conductors are in a straight line, a
tangent tower is used. Angle towers are used where a line must change direction.
Cross arms and conductor arrangement[edit]
Generally three conductors are required per AC 3-phase circuit, although single-phase and
DC circuits are also carried on towers. Conductors may be arranged in one plane, or by use
of several cross-arms may be arranged in a roughly symmetrical, triangulated pattern to
balance the impedances of all three phases. If more than one circuit is required to be carried
and the width of the line right-of-way does not permit multiple towers to be used, two or three
circuits can be carried on the same tower using several levels of cross-arms. Often multiple
circuits are the same voltage, but mixed voltages can be found on some structures.

Other features[edit]
Insulators[edit]

A high voltage insulator in the UK. Arcing horns are also in place.

Insulators electrically isolate the live side of the transmission cables from the tower structure
and earth. They are either glass or porcelain discs or composite insulators using silicone
rubber or EPDM rubber material. They are assembled in strings or long rods whose lengths
are dependent on the line voltage and environmental conditions. By using disks the shortest
surface electrical path between the ends is maximised which reduces the chance of a
leakage in moist conditions.
Stockbridge dampers[edit]

Stockbridge damper bolted to line close to the point of attachment to the tower. It prevents mechanical vibration
building up in the line.

Stockbridge dampers are added to the transmission lines a meter or two from the tower.
They consist of a short length of cable clamped in place parallel to the line itself and
weighted at each end. The size and dimensions are carefully designed to damp any buildup
of mechanical oscillation of the lines that could be induced by mechanical vibration most
likely that caused by wind. Without them its possible for a standing wave to become
established that grows in magnitude and destroys the line or the tower.
Arcing horns[edit]

Arcing horns. Designs may vary.

Arcing horns are sometimes added to the ends of the insulators in areas where voltage
surges may occur. These may be caused by either lightning strikes or in switching
operations. They protect power line insulators from damage due to arcing. They can be seen
as rounded metal pipework at either end of the insulator and provide a path to earth in
extreme circumstances without damaging the insulator.
Physical security[edit]
Towers will have a level of physical security to prevent members of the public or climbing
animals from ascending them. This may take the form of a security fence or climbing baffles
added to the supporting legs. Some countries require that lattice steel towers be equipped
with a barbed wire barrier approximately 3 m (9.8 ft) above ground in order to deter
unauthorized climbing. Such barriers can often be found on towers close to roads or other
areas with easy public access, even where there is not a legal requirement. In the United
Kingdom, all such towers are fitted with barbed wire.

Notable electricity transmission towers[edit]

The following electricity transmission towers are notable due to their enormous height,
unusual design, unusual construction site or their use in artworks.

Tower Year Country Town Pinnacle Remarks

Zhoushan Island
2009–
Overhead China Damao Island 370 m Tallest pylons in the world
2010
Powerline Tie

Jiangyin Yangtze
2003 China Jiangyin 346.5 m
River Crossing

Amazonas Crossing
Tallest electricity pylons in
of Tucuruí 2013 Brazil near Almeirim 295 m[13]
South America
transmission line

Yangtze River
power line crossing
2013 China Gaogouzhen 269.75 m
of Shanghai-
Huainan Powerline

Nanjing Yangtze Tallest reinforced concrete

1992 China Nanjing 257 m
River Crossing pylons in the world
 Tower Year Country Town Pinnacle Remarks

Pylons of Pearl 253 m +

1987 China Pearl River
River Crossing 240 m

Orinoco River
1990 Venezuela Caroní 240 m
Crossing

Hooghly River
India Diamond Harbour 236 m [1]
Crossing

232 m
(224 m
Pylons of Messina 1957 Italy Messina Not used as pylons any more
without
basement)

HVDC Yangtze
Tallest electricity pylons used
River Crossing 2003 China Wuhu 229 m
for HVDC
Wuhu

1976– Tallest electricity pylons still

Elbe Crossing 2 Germany Stade 227 m
1978 in use in Europe

Chushi Powerline Tallest electricity pylons in

1962 Japan Takehara 226 m
Crossing Japan

Daqi-Channel-
1997 Japan Takehara 223 m
Crossing

Overhead line
1998 Egypt 221 m
crossing Suez Canal

Tallest strainer pylon in the

Kerinchi Pylon 1999 Malaysia Kerinchi 210 m world, not part of a powerline
crossing of a waterway

Huainan Luohe
1989 China Huainan 202.5 m Pylons of reinforced concrete
Powerline Crossing

Yangzi River
Crossing of HVDC
2009 China ??? 202 m[14]
Xianjiaba –
Shanghai
 Tower Year Country Town Pinnacle Remarks

Balakovo 500 kV
1983– Tallest electricity pylon in
Wolga Crossing, Russia Balakovo 197 m
1984 Russia and ex-USSR
Tower East

LingBei-Channel-
1993 Japan Reihoku 195 m
Crossing

Doel Schelde
Second crossing of Schelde
Powerline Crossing 2019 Belgium Antwerpen 192 m
River
2

400 kV Thames
1965 UK West Thurrock 190 m
Crossing

1958–
Elbe Crossing 1 Germany Stade 189 m
1962

Antwerp
Deurganck dok 2000 Belgium Antwerpen 178 m Crossing for a container quay
crossing

Tracy Saint
Tallest electricity pylon in
Lawrence River ? Canada Tracy 174.6 m
Canada
Powerline Crossing

Doel Schelde Group of 2 towers with 1

Powerline Crossing 1974 Belgium Antwerpen 172 m pylon situated in the middle of
1 Schelde River

Lekkerkerk Tallest crossing in the

1970 Netherlands Lekkerkerk 163 m
Crossing 1 Netherlands

Bosporus overhead
1999 Turkey Istanbul 160 m
line crossing III

Balakovo 500 kV
1983–
Wolga Crossing, Russia Balakovo 159 m
1984
Tower West

1957–
Pylons of Cadiz Spain Cadiz 160 m
1960
 Tower Year Country Town Pinnacle Remarks

Maracaibo Bay
? Venezuela Maracaibo 150 m Towers on caissons
Powerline Crossing

Meredosia-Ipava
United
Illinois River 2017 Beardstown 149.35 m
States
Crossing

Aust Severn
1959 UK Aust 148.75 m
Powerline Crossing

132 kV Thames
1932 UK West Thurrock 148.4 m Demolished in 1987
Crossing

Karmsundet
? Norway Karmsundet 143.5 m
Powerline Crossing

Limfjorden
Overhead
? Denmark Raerup 141.7 m
powerline crossing
2

Saint Lawrence
River HVDC
Deschambault-
Quebec-New 1989 Canada 140 m Dismantled in 1992
Grondines
England Overhead
Powerline Crossing

Pylons of Voerde 1926 Germany Voerde 138 m

Köhlbrand
? Germany Hamburg 138 m
Powerline Crossing

Bremen-Farge
Weser Powerline ? Germany Bremen 135 m
Crossing

Pylons of Ghesm One pylon standing on a

1984 Iran Strait of Ghesm 130 m
Crossing caisson in the sea

Hyperboloid structure, 2
Shukhov tower on
1929 Russia Dzerzhinsk 128 m towers, one of them
the Oka River
demolished
 Tower Year Country Town Pinnacle Remarks

Tarchomin pylon
of Tarchomin-
? Poland Tarchomin 127 m
Łomianki Vistula
Powerline Crossing

Skolwin pylon
of Skolwin-
? Poland Skolwin 126 m
Inoujscie Odra
Powerline Crossing

Enerhodar Dnipro
Powerline 1977 Ukraine Enerhodar 126 m
Crossing 2

Inoujscie pylon
of Skolwin-
? Poland Inoujscie 125 m
Inoujscie Odra
Powerline Crossing

Bosporus overhead
1983 Turkey Istanbul 124 m
line crossing II

Tista River
1985 India Jalpaiguri 120 m Pile Foundation
Crossing

Duisburg-Wanheim
Powerline Rhine ? Germany Duisburg 122 m
Crossing

Łomianki pylon
of Tarchomin-
? Poland Łomianki 121 m
Łomianki Vistula
Powerline Crossing

Little Belt
Overhead 125.3 m /
? Denmark Middelfart
powerline crossing 119.2 m
2

Little Belt
Overhead 119.5 m /
? Denmark Middelfart
powerline crossing 113.1 m
2
 Tower Year Country Town Pinnacle Remarks

Pylons of
Duisburg- 1926 Germany Duisburg-Rheinhausen 118.8 m
Rheinhausen

Bullenhausen Elbe
? Germany Bullenhausen 117 m
Powerline Crossing

Lubaniew-
Bobrowniki Vistula ? Poland Lubaniew/Bobrowniki 117 m
Powerline Crossing

Swieze Górne-
Swieze
Rybakow Vistula ? Poland 116 m
Górne/Rybaków
Powerline Crossing

Ostrówek-Tursko
Vistula Powerline ? Poland Ostrówek/Tursko 115 m
Crossing

Bosporus overhead
1957 Turkey Istanbul 113 m
line crossing I

Riga Hydroelectric
Power Plant 1974 Latvia Salaspils 112 m
Crossing Pylon

Bremen- Two parallel running

Industriehafen powerlines, one used for a
? Germany Bremen 111 m
Weser Powerline single phase AC powerline of
Crossing Deutsche Bahn AG

Probostwo Dolne
pylon of Nowy
Nowy
Bógpomóz-
? Poland Bógpomóz/Probostwo 111 m
Probostwo Dolne
Dolne
Vistula Powerline
Crossing

Daugava Powerline
1975 Latvia Riga 110 m
Crossing

Nowy Bógpomóz
pylon of Nowy ? Poland Nowy Bógpomóz 109 m
Bógpomóz-
Probostwo Dolne
 Tower Year Country Town Pinnacle Remarks

Vistula Powerline
Crossing

Regów Golab
Vistula Powerline ? Poland Regów/Golab 108 m
Crossing

Orsoy Rhine
? Germany Orsoy 105 m
Crossing

Limfjorden
Overhead
? Denmark Raerup 101.2 m
powerline crossing
1

Enerhodar Dnipro
Powerline 1977 Ukraine Enerhodar 100 m Pylons standing on caissons
Crossing 2

Under the legs of the pylon on

Reisholz Rhine the east shore of Rhine there
1917 Germany Düsseldorf ?
Powerline Crossing runs the rail to nearby
Holthausen substation

Sone River Sone Bhadra (Uttar Pylons standing on Well

1983 India 96 m
Crossing Pradesh) Foundation

Strelasund
? Germany Sundhagen 85 m Pylons standing on caissons
Powerline Crossing

380 kV Ems
Mark (south
Overhead ? Germany 84 m
of Weener)
Powerline Crossing

Pylon in the
artificial lake of 1959 Switzerland Lake of Santa Maria 75 m Pylon in an artificial lake
Santa Maria

Facility 4101, carried until 2010 an

1975 Germany Brühl 74.84 m
Tower 93 observation deck

Two triple pylons used for a

Zaporizhzhia Pylon powerline crossing
? Ukraine Zaporizhzhia 74.5 m
Triple from Khortytsia Island to the
east shore of Dneipr
 Tower Year Country Town Pinnacle Remarks

Aggersund
Tallest pylons used for
Crossing of Cross- 1977 Denmark Aggersund 70 m
HVDC-transmission in Europe
Skagerrak

Longest span of Germany

Eyachtal Span 1992 Germany Höfen 70 m
(1444 metres)

Leaning pylon of
? Taiwan Mingjian ? Earthquake memorial
Mingjian

Carquinez Strait United World's first powerline

1901 Benicia 68 m + 20 m
Powerline Crossing States crossing of a larger waterway

Pylon 310 of
powerline Tallest pylon of prefabricated
1990 Switzerland Littau 59,5 m
Innertkirchen- concrete
Littau-Mettlen

Pylon of 220 kV
Anlage 2610, Mast
? Germany Bochum 47 m powerline decorated with balls
69
in Ruhr-Park mall.

Colossus of Pylon standing over a small

1980 Germany Eislingen/Fils 47 m
Eislingen river

Pylon 24 of
Pylon standing over a public
powerline Watari- ? Japan Uchihara, Ibaraki 45 m
road with two lanes
Kashiwabara

Mickey Pylon 1996 USA Celebration, Florida 32 m Mickey mouse shaped pylon

Source[15] 2004 France Amnéville les Thermes 34 m / 28 m 4 pylons forming an artwork

Huddersfield Pylon standing over a

Stalybridge, Greater
Narrow Canal 1967 UK ? waterway shipable by small
Manchester
Pylon boats

See also[edit]
 Architectural engineering
 List of high voltage underground and submarine cables
 List of spans
 Utility pole
  Stobie pole
 Live-line working

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b "Environmental, Health, and Safety Guidelines for Electric
Power Transmission and Distribution" (PDF). International Finance
Corporation. 2007-04-30. p. 21. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
2. ^ Jump up to:a b c Donald Fink and Wayne Beaty (ed.) Standard Handbook for
Electrical Engineers 11th Ed., Mc Graw Hill, 1978, ISBN 0-07-020974-X, pp.
14-102 and 14-103
3. ^ http://www.spta.org/pdf/Reisdorff%20Lam%20%209-11.pdf
4. ^ Olive Development. "Winterport, Maine".
5. ^ "New High Voltage Pylons for the Netherlands". 2009. Retrieved 2010-04-
24.
6. ^ "Clown-shaped High Voltage Pylons in Hungary". 47.2358442°N
19.3907302°E
7. ^ Rudell, Tim (2016-06-28). "Drive Through Goal Posts at the Pro Football
Hall of Fame". WKSU. Retrieved 2019-07-14. 40.8174274°N
81.3966678°W
8. ^ Broadcast Tower Technologies. "Gin Pole Services". Retrieved 2009-10-
24.
9. ^ "Powering Up – Vertical Magazine". verticalmag.com. Archived from the
original on 4 October 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
10. ^ "Helicopter Transport of Transmission Towers". Transmission &
Distribution World. 21 May 2018.
11. ^ "Chapter 6. Visual aids for denoting obstacles" (PDF). Annex 14 Volume I
Aerodrome design and operations. International Civil Aviation Organization.
2004-11-25. pp. 6–3, 6–4, 6–5. Retrieved 1 June 2011. 6.2.8 ... spherical ...
diameter of not less than 60 cm. ... 6.2.10 ... should be of one colour. ...
Figure 6-2 ... 6.3.13
12. ^ American Society of Civil Engineers Design of latticed steel transmission
structures ASCE Standard 10-97, 2000, ISBN 0-7844-0324-4, section C2.3
13. ^ "Concluída primeira torre da linha entre Manaus e Macapá". Archived
from the original on 2015-06-12.
14. ^ CS Tower. "Projects – CS Tower – A leading Steel Tower Manufacturer in
the World".
15. ^ http://electric-art.eu/

External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Electricity
pylons.

 Electricity pylons in Hungary

 Pylon Appreciation Society
 Flash Bristow's pylon photo gallery and pylon FAQ
 Magnificent Views: Pictures of High Voltage Towers (also offers
technical information)
 Structurae database of select notable transmission towers
 Pylons in Russia and other areas of former Soviet Union
 Collection of some electricity pylons on Skyscraperpage.com
 Meet the 'pylon spotters' – BBC News

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