Life cycle costs for extra high voltage cables and overhead lines

Underground cables (UGCs) are – at installation – more expensive than overhead lines (OHLs), although it is very difficult to draw general cost ratios, due to the specificity of every project. In most cases comparisons are made solely on the capital costs of the equipment together with the costs of installation and accommodation works. In other cases, respective life costs are considered that take into account transmission losses, maintenance costs, availability (and associated outage related costs) and decommissioning. In some cases, particularly at planning permission inquiries, comparisons are also made of “social” costs including the impact of transmission lines on visual amenity, property prices and the cost of the burden on land due to the installation of a transmission line which requires a “right-of-way” to be maintained. Europacable also believes that the cost comparison analysis should consider the time required to get authorisation for the line as “lost-revenue” time.