Power/energy: UHV: Onward and upward: A major effort is being mounted in the U.S. and overseas to push practical transmission above the 1000-kV level

Transmission systems, with special emphasis on ultrahigh voltage (1000 kV and higher), presently constitute a top-priority technology R&D effort both in the United States and overseas. One of the reasons for the accelerated international push in UHV over the past three years may be the result of the 1973-74 Mideast oil embargo. The subsequent energy crisis heightened an awareness of the need for more efficient energy utilization in the generation and transmission of electricity — especially to load centers remote from sources of generation. Specifically, UHV transmission efficiency is greater than that of EHV, and line losses are less. And it is hoped that the increased cost of UHV overhead line construction and rights-of-way acquisition will be more than offset by the larger transmission capacity.