Environmental life cycle analysis of overhead transmission lines: Metallurgical considerations and sustainability impacts

This paper presents a simplistic environmental life cycle analysis (LCA) of overhead transmission lines with particular focus on the metallurgical aspects/ value chain of conductor materials -impacting the carbon footprint and the operating losses. The methodology examines the environmental footprint of transmission infrastructure from raw material extraction through manufacturing, installation, operation, and end-of-life recycling – results will vary considerably based on the source of aluminium and particularly the source of electricity for smelting aluminium. A comparative analysis of traditional Aluminium