Case Study
ELIA Group
Utility: ELIA Group
Country: Belgium
Infrastructure Type: High-voltage transmission poles
Elia Group is Belgium’s transmission system operator, managing high-voltage infrastructure critical to national grid reliability.
The Challenge
A significant portion of Elia’s concrete pole infrastructure are aged. While structurally resilient, decades of environmental exposure and aging have led to material weakening.
However, due to high capital replacement costs, the utility is only able to replace approximately 5% of its line annually in some regions.
This created a strategic challenge:
- Aging infrastructure
- Limited annual replacement capacity
- Increasing demand for reliability
- Need for scalable reinforcement solutions
Elia required a solution that could extend the service life of existing concrete poles without full replacement.
The Solution
Through collaboration supported by Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), GridWrap was selected to pilot its composite strengthening technology. The project focused on reinforcing rectangular high-voltage concrete transmission poles using BULLWRAP® composite reinforcement.
The deployment included:
- Field application of BULLWRAP® ,composite wrap reinforcement
- Structural enhancement of aging concrete poles
- On-site installation with minimal operational disruption
Field testing was conducted to assess the structural performance and effectiveness of the reinforcement system
The Result
TThe pilot demonstrated that composite reinforcement can:
- Strengthen aging concrete transmission poles
- Extend infrastructure lifespan
- Reduce immediate capital replacement pressures
- Provide a scalable reinforcement strategy
- Saved huge cost of pole replacement
By reinforcing existing assets, Elia Group was able to explore a long-term grid modernization pathway without full infrastructure replacement.