Opinion: The Missing Link in Grid Modernization? Advanced Reconductoring

In response to: “Why surging demand and grid transformation will define the utility sector in 2025” by Kyle Jones, Utility Dive (May 9, 2025)

Kyle Jones’ recent opinion piece in Utility Dive offers a timely and insightful look into the mounting challenges that America’s electric utilities face. From AI-driven data centers and widespread electrification to the intermittency of renewables and the volatility of climate-driven weather events, Jones paints a clear and urgent picture: The grid must change - and fast.

What Jones lays out with clarity is the depth and scale of today’s utility challenges. What we’d like to add - and respectfully emphasize - is that one of the most overlooked, yet high-impact, solutions to these problems is already available and deployable today: Advanced Reconductoring.

Why Advanced Reconductoring Deserves a Front-Row Seat

While Jones correctly identifies digitalization, automation, and regulatory evolution as central to grid transformation, the physical backbone of the grid—the wires themselves—must not be forgotten.

Advanced Conductors, like the ACCC® Conductor developed by CTC Global , offer utilities a way to dramatically increase the capacity, efficiency, and resilience of existing transmission and distribution lines - without waiting a decade for permitting and siting of new corridors.

This is not theoretical. The Energy Institute at Haas (University of California, Berkeley) recently released a landmark 2024 study quantifying the real-world benefits of Advanced Conductors. The study found that modern conductors can double or triple the capacity of existing lines, reduce electrical losses by up to 40%, and enable the grid to carry more renewable energy - all while lowering lifetime costs compared to legacy alternatives.

Grid Capacity Isn’t Just a Problem. It’s the Problem.

Jones rightly flags the pressure data centers are putting on utilities. Consider this: Upgrading substation software won’t help if the transmission lines leading to the load center can’t carry more power. Nor will adding more wind and solar help if curtailment becomes the norm due to bottlenecks. Grid congestion is one of the most severe barriers to the clean energy transition - and it often originates in conductors that were designed for a different century.

Advanced Reconductoring offers a solution that is:

• Fast – Reconductoring projects can often be completed in a fraction of the time required to build new lines.
• Scalable – Thousands of kilometers of ACCC® Conductor have already been deployed on six continents, including across North America.
• Low-impact – By using existing structures and rights-of-way, reconductoring avoids the major permitting delays that hamper greenfield builds.

A Strategic Imperative

Jones notes that “grid modernization is not optional.” We couldn’t agree more. But modernization must extend to the conductor level. As utilities prioritize resilience, decarbonization, and customer affordability, Advanced Reconductoring provides a rare alignment of environmental, operational, and economic benefits.

Utilities that invest in Advanced Conductors are future-proofing their networks for AI load, electric vehicles, decentralized generation, and extreme weather—all at once.

Commending the Call for Change

We commend Utility Dive and Kyle Jones for elevating this critical conversation at such a pivotal moment. As the energy ecosystem undergoes radical transformation, we believe that Advanced Reconductoring must be recognized as a core strategy—not a niche option. It’s one of the few solutions that addresses reliability, affordability, and decarbonization in parallel.

Grid transformation is no longer a question of if - but how fast. With Advanced Conductors like ACCC®, we already have a powerful tool to accelerate progress.