(INL Press Release, May 15, 2026)
(IDAHO FALLS, Idaho) – The Idaho National Laboratory has published results from more than 50 evaluations of next-generation advanced conductors on a new public website. The site gives utilities, manufacturers and industry partners open access to credible, standards-based performance data on advanced conductors for the first time.
Building power lines from advanced conductors — high-performance materials designed to carry electricity more efficiently — is one solution to address threats to electric grid stability and national security. These threats include surging energy demand, aging power infrastructure, rapid load growth and increasingly extreme weather.
The website provides the results of independent testing that shows how advanced conductors perform under extreme conditions including wildfire temperatures, ice loading and mechanical fatigue. The data will help utilities reduce technical risk and make informed investment decisions as they choose advanced conductors that will maintain operations during high-demand events, reducing the risk of cascading grid failures.
“INL is testing advanced conductors donated by utility partners because upgrading power lines requires credible, verifiable results,” said Jake Gentle, a senior technical manager at INL. “INL is generating objective evidence that helps utilities reduce technical risk, make investment decisions and adopt advanced conductors with confidence to add capacity and improve the reliability of existing transmission corridors.”
Testing for extreme conditions
INL partnered with the Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity; Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response; the National Electric Energy Testing Research and Application Center; and the Electric Power Research Institute to conduct four categories of tests:
-
INL’s wildfire simulation chamber uses propane to reach temperatures up to 1,900 degrees Celsius (3,452 degrees Fahrenheit), well above the 1,200 degrees C (2,192 degrees F) that wildfires can reach, to test how conductors hold up to extreme heat.
-
Ice-load and cold-climate testing chambers assess how conductors perform in extreme cold, with chambers reaching minus 70 degrees C (minus 94 degrees F).
-
Mechanical testing provides aging assessments and evaluates tensile strength, fatigue and stretching.
- Fully instrumented installation testing assesses performance in both standard and extreme environments.
Recent work includes assessment of how different conductor types withstand wildfires and physical stress and development of a new testing method to address challenges unique to advanced conductors.
Industry context
To complement the test data, INL maintains the Advanced Conductor Scan Report, a practical guide that shows where U.S. power lines can be upgraded and how utilities are using advanced conductors. The report also helps utilities plan projects, justify costs and improve grid reliability.
Industry partners also asked INL to develop installation training as part of a broader effort to strengthen the grid. INL’s 890-square-mile research and development Site includes facilities such as the Power Grid Test Bed, the Critical Infrastructure Test Range Complex, the Modular Power Systems Testbed and the new Energy Technology Proving Ground, which provide opportunities for hands-on training, testing and validation of new technologies.
Future work
Upcoming work covers ice-load and wildfire testing of protective devices such as wildlife diverters, conductor wraps and utility pole wraps. INL also plans to present recommendations to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Committee for potential integration into national standards.
Learn more: inl.gov/national-security/advanced-grid-solutions/advanced-conductor-testing
About Idaho National Laboratory
Battelle Energy Alliance manages INL for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy. INL is the nation’s center for nuclear energy research and development, and also performs research in each of DOE’s strategic goal areas: energy, national security, science and the environment. For more information, visit www.inl.gov. Follow us on social media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
