In high-latitude countries like Finland, high-voltage transmission line construction often has to be carried out in sub-zero temperatures. When the surface of a steel rope is covered with frost or thin ice, the clamping force of the pulling equipment decreases. This can lead to conductor slippage, tension fluctuation and unstable pulling, which is a common pain point for local contractors.

On this project, the Finnish customer purchased 22,400 m of Pilot Steel Wire Rope (CE Marked, 800 m/reel, packed with cable reel YL22-12XT25) for pilot pulling and conductor stringing along the new line. Compared with ordinary steel rope, this CE-Marked Pilot Steel Wire Rope is made from high-strength galvanized strands with a more consistent surface treatment. Even in cold and humid conditions, it maintains a stable friction coefficient and good flexibility, reducing traction loss caused by frost.

The 800 m/reel YL22-12XT25 cable reel packaging also helped the Finnish construction team organize long-distance stringing more efficiently. Each reel corresponds to a specific section of the line, making lifting, deployment and retrieval much easier and reducing the risks associated with frequent splices. At the same time, the CE Marking supports the contractor in passing internal safety audits and utility acceptance procedures more smoothly.

After using the CE-Marked Pilot Steel Wire Rope on several sections, the customer reported that tension fluctuation at the puller was clearly reduced during winter operations, and conductor slippage events dropped significantly. Both trial pulling and final stringing became more stable and predictable. Combined with the later deployment of Grounding Roller Stringing Blocks, the overall system’s controllability under cold and humid conditions improved noticeably. The contractor now plans to adopt the same rope specification and reel configuration as their standard pulling solution for cold-climate projects in Finland.