Application of Overhead Bare Conductors in Rural Power Distribution in West Africa

In many rural areas of West Africa, with dispersed populations and large distances between villages, the budget for power grid construction is limited, and overhead bare conductors have become the mainstream choice for local distribution projects.

Advantages of using overhead bare conductors:
1.Bare wires have no insulation layer, and the material unit price is much lower than that of overhead insulated cables; Concrete poles can be produced on-site, with simple processes for laying out and tower installation. The vast and dispersed rural areas can quickly expand the power supply network with low investment, which is very suitable for the West African rural power grid popularization project.

2.West Africa is prone to high temperatures throughout the year, and bare wires rely on air for direct heat dissipation. Under the same cross-sectional area, a higher current carrying capacity is allowed, making it suitable for long-distance transmission of small and medium-sized electricity, meeting the lighting needs of village residents and small shops.

3.The density of village buildings is low, and the spacing between houses is large. It is easy to maintain a safe air gap between ground pedestrians, activity areas, and wires, which meets the requirements for air insulation of bare wires.

With the upgrading of the power grid, densely populated village and town centers will gradually be replaced with overhead insulated wires; However, in remote villages where the village head is far from the main line, overhead bare conductors (ACSR steel cored aluminum stranded wire) will still be the preferred choice for West African distribution networks for a long time.