The wire, manufactured by American Superconductor Corp., conducts 150
times the electricity of the same sized copper wires, strand-for-strand. This
means transmission cables can be far smaller and still conduct as much as three
to five times more power in a smaller right-of-way.
When operated at full capacity, the 138-kilovolt cable LIPA uses is capable
of transmitting up to 574 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 300,000
homes.
The Department of Energy has funded $27.5 million of the $58.5 million cost
of the project as part of its effort to spur creation of a modern electricity
superhighway free of bottlenecks and that transmits power to customers from
remote generation sites such as wind farms.