ICE® Green Machines for Green Energy
May 6, 2023
ICE® Green Machines for Green Energy
Editor: Allison Braswell
One of the fastest ways to distribute renewable energy is to expand electricity transmission, also known as power lines. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law calls for thousands of miles of new transmission lines to move electricity created by renewable energy sources. Global demand for electricity surged by 6% in 2021, propelled by economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. With this, U.S. residents have seen a rise in power pole installations on their commutes, including those in northwestern Missouri where the best wind energy resources in the state are located.
During the same year, Missouri ranked 13th in the nation in wind power production, providing more than 70% of the state's renewable generation and thus necessitating more transmission lines to continue the clean energy sweep. The contractor for this project, Longfellow Drilling out of Clearfield, IA, installed new power poles in Orrick, MO by utilizing their own ICE® 50B Vibratory Hammer and a rented ICE® 66C Vibratory Hammer that drove the 8' (ft)-diameter pipe piles 45 feet in the ground. The soil conditions were very stiff, so pre-drilling relief holes to ease pressure while pile driving was key to installing the power poles within 8 minutes. Pre-boring procedures are routine practice for large piles driven through hard, cohesive soils because they reduce soil displacement (which can lead to higher rates of soil infertility and runoff), prevent damage to the pile, and boost production times.
The existing system of transmission lines is insufficient to meet the nation's goal of a zero-emission economy, so projects like these propel its mission of large-scale deployment of clean energy. Bravo, Longfellow Drilling! International Construction Equipment, Inc. is proud to have been selected to help your team make the world a little greener!
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