COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE USE OF LATTICE TOWERS VERSUS POLYGONAL MONOPODS IN SNEL SA'S HIGH-VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE

The comparative study on the use of lattice towers versus conical monopods in SNEL SA's high-voltage transmission network is of paramount importance in determining the conditions for safety, reliability, operation and maintenance. The main aim is to overcome the growing phenomenon of vandalism, such as the theft of galvanized angles, bolts, copper conductors and earth counterweight wires from electrical infrastructures, which leads to the collapse of lattice towers and the unavailability of SNEL SA's power transmission lines. The use of polygonal monopole towers offers the following advantages: aesthetic, can be installed in urban areas, small footprint, one-day installation, reduced number of parts for assembly, low maintenance costs spread over several years, resistance to acts of vandalism, no natural aggression and environmental impact. The complete construction cost of one kilometer of line (ratio) is 1.25 k€/km for the conical monopod as opposed to 1 k€/km for the lattice tower, i.e. a 20% difference in investment.