What power companies?

[ntxhand]

What power companies still do their own transmission maintenance? And why do they seem to contract them out and do away with their own crews these days?

[reppy007]

Im thinking that Centerpoint energy does their own also,I could be wrong though.

[ntxhand]

Any others out there? Anyone work on one for a power company? What's it like?

[bluestreak]

At Northeast Utilities they have a mix, Conn. has a downsized crew that does construction and maintenance in Mass their trans is done by a crew of that does both distribution and transmission. In New Hampshire I believe their transmission work is done by contractors with my understanding that the same people have been doing the work so long they are almost like long term employees. Don't know about N Star they're new to the group since I retired.

[THE KID]

We work on our own transmisson as far as changing out poles. We just had a reconductor job that we hired out that had 80 poles to be changed out. We rebuilt our own sub last year but we are a small company.

[Lineman North Florida]

We still do our own, as for why a lot of company's contract it out is expense of hi-line trucks if your doing it hot ( live line work ) class A trucks can run upwards of a 1/2 million dollars not to mention suits, shoes, etc, etc, it's getting a lot harder down where we are to get a clearance on a transmission line, so you do what you can hot.