[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 109 (Wednesday, June 8, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-13922]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: June 8, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

 

Golden Field Office; Cooperative Agreement Award to Electric 
Power Research Institute (EPRI)

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of financial assistance award in response to a non-
competitive financial assistance application.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) pursuant to the DOE 
Financial Assistance Rules, 10 CFR 600.7(b)(2) is announcing its 
intention make a financial assistance award to the Electric Power 
Research Institute (EPRI) to design, build and test a 1 meter and a 30 
meter High-Temperature Superconducting underground transmission cable.

ADDRESSES: Questions regarding this announcement may be addressed to 
the U.S. Department of Energy, Golden Field Office, 1617 Cole Blvd., 
Golden CO 80401, Attention: John W. Meeker, Contract Specialist, or at 
303/275-4748. The Contracting Officer for this action is Dr. Paul K. 
Kearns.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EPRI application was initially submitted 
in response to a Department of Energy solicitation for financial 
assistance application titled ``Superconductivity Partnership 
Initiative'' (SPI) dated January 19, 1993. While the application 
submitted by EPRI was technically acceptable, it was considered not to 
merit a competitive award under the limited funding available for that 
solicitation. That solicitation was closed on April 19, 1993, and three 
awards were made. EPRI now has reworked its original application into 
the current proposal resulting in the government's cost share being 
reduced, and the program being extended from two (2) to four (4) years. 
This proposal was then resubmitted to DOE as an application for a non-
competitive financial assistance award. A reduction in the government's 
cost share allowed this project to fit within the programs budget. The 
lengthening of the time schedule from 2 to 4 years allowed the project 
to move at a slower pace while achieving the same objective.
    The proposed project will contribute to the DOE mission of ``* * * 
providing the scientific foundation and technology * * * necessary to 
achieve efficiency in energy use * * *'' by developing an energy 
efficient underground transmission cable using High-Temperature 
Superconducting (HTS) materials. Superconductivity is defined as a 
disappearance of electrical resistance in a substance. This occurs in 
common electrical conductors at or very near a temperature of zero (0) 
Kelvin or absolute zero (-273.15'C or -459.67'F). High Temperature 
Superconductors, discovered in 1986, have superconducting 
characteristics at temperatures up to 77 Kelvin (-196 deg.C or 
-321 deg.F). The main advantage of an HTS cable is that it can carry 
more current than conventional underground cables of comparable size. 
The underground HTS cable design implemented in this project can carry 
a maximum transmission current or about 2500 amperes. This power 
capacity matches the typical maximum current carried by an overhead 
line. The proposed HTS cable will have a higher power capacity, as well 
as lower operating losses than conventional cable systems. The proposed 
project fits into the SPI program by developing and demonstrating HTS 
material applications.
    The ultimate goal of this program is to develop a commercially 
viable HTS power transmission cable. The objective of this project is 
an intermediate phase, where a 30-meter prototype 115 kv HTS power 
cable will be manufactured and tested by conventional industry-accepted 
techniques. This project will conclude with the design of a 3-phase, 
100-meter cable system
    The probability of success is high, because the applicant, EPRI, 
has brought together a team, consisting of American Superconductor Co. 
and the Pirelli Cable Corp., that has unique expertise in each area of 
concern as follows:

EPRI

    Was founded in 1973 to enable the United States electric power 
industry to pool resources and conduct research and development that 
will benefit utilities, their customers and society. EPRI's Underground 
Transmission Program has participated in every major innovation in 
underground transmission for nearly two decades. EPRI also has short 
and long term transmission testing facilities at the EHV Cable Test 
Center in Yonkers, New York, and the Underground Cable Test Facility in 
Waltz Mill, Pennsylvania. These test centers have become the preferred 
proving ground for new cable technologies.

American Superconductor Corp

    Is a United States concern primarily involved in the development 
and manufacturing of commercially viable HTS products, including 
electromagnetic coils, electromagnets, and multistrand conductors for 
electric power and magnet systems such as motors, generators and power 
transmission cables.

Pirelli Cable Corp

    A United States based manufacturing, marketing and research 
affiliate of the international Pirelli group of companies, is the 
United States leading cable supplier. Pirelli started HTS research 
activity in 1987 in Milan to investigate the performance of HTS 
materials, develop ways to incorporate them into practical wires, 
characterize wires for the required properties, and study the technical 
and economic potential related to their use, particularly in power 
cables. Work under this proposal will be conducted at the Pirelli 
Research and Development Center in Lexington, South Carolina, which has 
been involved in developing new technologies in the field of wire and 
cable. Integrated within the worldwide Pirelli Research, Development 
and Engineering, this center is in an excellent position to develop 
prototype cables.
    The project team that has been assembled by the Electric Power 
Research Institute (EPRI) is uniquely qualified to develop a high 
temperature superconducting (HTS) cable for the U.S. Utility industry. 
The vertically integrated project team consists of the leading U.S. HTS 
wire maker (American Superconductor Corporation), the country's leading 
cable supplier (Pirelli Cable Corporation) and the utility industry's 
research organization (EPRI--supported by 700 member utilities).
    The project will be overseen by EPRI's Underground Transmission 
Task Force which consists of 30 cable experts drawn from EPRI's member 
utilities. This interaction with the utility industry will facilitate 
technology transfer and commercialization and is unique to EPRI audits 
HTS cable project team.
    The project team has been working together for the past two years. 
In 1992, EPRI contracted with Pirelli to develop detailed designs of a 
manufacturing plan for constructing HTS cable. Pirelli's interaction 
with American Superconductor dates back to 1990 when they initiated a 
contract to develop HTS wire that could be used for transmission cable.
    EPRI's EHV Laboratory and Walts Mill Test Center (where the 30-
meter HTS cable will be tested) have been the proving grounds for all 
new cable innovations introduced in this country during the last 20 
years. These centers will be utilized for testing the HTS cable, and 
will lend a great deal of credibility and confidence in the performance 
of the system.
    The personnel within the team are uniquely qualified to develop an 
HTS cable system. The facilities that are/will be available to the EPRI 
lead team will provide manufacturing ability and will provide the 
utilities with confidence in the testing and demonstration of the 
cable.
    The major public benefit to be derived from this project is 
providing a more economical, efficient and versatile underground 
transmission cable. EPRI has identified three applications for an HTS 
cable system: 1) Retrofitting existing underground circuits, 2) one-to-
one transition from an overhead line to an underground cable system, 
and 3) long-distance underground transmission.
    (1) Retrofit Existing Underground Circuits: About 20% of the 
underground transmission cables in the U.S. are nearing the end of 
their planned 30 to 40 year design life and may require replacement 
over the next decade. utilities could increase the power transmission 
capacity of these systems by 50 to 500% by retrofitting them with HTS 
cables.
    (2) One-to-One Transition from an Overhead Line to an Underground 
Cable System: Utilities typically install two or more underground 
circuits to match the capacity of a single overhead line. Since a 
single HTS circuit can match the power rating of an overhead line, it 
will enable utilities to cut their excavation and installation costs 
(which account for up to 70% of the total capital costs of a new 
underground cable).
    (3) Long-Distance Underground Transmission: The difficulty of 
acquiring overhead rights-of-way may force utilities to consider 
installing longer underground transmission cables HTS cable systems 
will carry higher currents and will require much less compensation than 
comparable underground installations, and could operate in lengths 
comparable to overhead lines.
    In addition to the above uses, this project will advance the U.S. 
competitiveness in a highly sought after market. An annual installation 
of 50 Kilometers of cable would create an HTS cable market of 
approximately $75 million per year. Other countries, namely Japan and 
Germany, are actively working to develop HTS applications/products to 
capture this market.
    The development and demonstration of a HTS transmission cable 
system fits comfortably within the direction and objectives of DOE's 
Superconducting Partnership Initiative program. Through the 
Superconductivity Partnership Initiative, three awards have been made 
to industry teams to develop and demonstrate applications for HTS 
material. The initial EPRI proposal was considered meritorious but 
funding of that initiative limited awards to the three that were made. 
However, with the additional refinements contained in the EPRI 
proposal, DOE can now propose funding this application at $300,000 per 
fiscal year.
    Competition for this effort would have a significant adverse impact 
on the continuity and completion of the proposed activity. Ten 
applications were received through the Superconductivity Partnership 
Initiative solicitation. EPRI had submitted the only application that 
proposed developing a transmission cable. This industry team is 
uniquely qualified for this effort since EPRI represents the U.S. power 
industry's research organization, American Superconductor Corp. is the 
leading U.S. manufacture of HTS conductors and Pirelli Cable is the 
country's leading cable supplier. Therefore, we do not believe that a 
solicitation to build and test an HTS transmission cable would generate 
much interest or be cost effective.

    Issued in Golden, CO, on April 25, 1994.
John W. Meeker,
Chief, Procurement, Golden Field Office.
[FR Doc. 94-13922 Filed 6-7-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-M