A method for protecting a plurality of electrical poles located near an electrical substation, comprising the steps of: providing a grounding grid beneath the substation, said grounding grid being in contact with the ground; electrically grounding the substation to the grounding grid; electrically grounding a plurality of electrical poles to a common ground wire and electrically grounding that common ground wire to said grounding grid; surrounding the grounding grid with at least one impressed current anode near said grounding grid, wherein either: four impressed current anodes are placed on the North, South, East and West sides of the grounding grid at approximately the midpoint of each side of the grounding grid and at distance of about L/3.5 from the sides of the grounding grid, wherein L is the length of a given side of the grid; a number greater than four, of impressed current anodes are placed at a distance of L/3.5 or less from the sides of the grounding grid, wherein L is the length of a given side of the grid; or a plurality of continuous linear impressed current anodes are plowed in or trenched in adjacent to the grounding grid; providing a direct current power source having a positive terminal and a negative terminal; electrically connecting the negative terminal of the direct current power source to the grounding grid and electrically connecting the impressed current anodes to each other and to the positive terminal of the direct current power source; and using the direct current power source to apply a direct current that reduces the effective electrical potential of the grounding grid. providing a grounding grid beneath the substation, said grounding grid being in contact with the ground; electrically grounding the substation to the grounding grid; electrically grounding a plurality of electrical poles to a common ground wire and electrically grounding that common ground wire to said grounding grid; surrounding the grounding grid with at least one impressed current anode near said grounding grid, wherein either: four impressed current anodes are placed on the North, South, East and West sides of the grounding grid at approximately the midpoint of each side of the grounding grid and at distance of about L/3.5 from the sides of the grounding grid, wherein L is the length of a given side of the grid; a number greater than four, of impressed current anodes are placed at a distance of L/3.5 or less from the sides of the grounding grid, wherein L is the length of a given side of the grid; or a plurality of continuous linear impressed current anodes are plowed in or trenched in adjacent to the grounding grid; providing a direct current power source having a positive terminal and a negative terminal; electrically connecting the negative terminal of the direct current power source to the grounding grid and electrically connecting the impressed current anodes to each other and to the positive terminal of the direct current power source; and using the direct current power source to apply a direct current that reduces the effective electrical potential of the grounding grid. four impressed current anodes are placed on the North, South, East and West sides of the grounding grid at approximately the midpoint of each side of the grounding grid and at distance of about L/3.5 from the sides of the grounding grid, wherein L is the length of a given side of the grid; a number greater than four, of impressed current anodes are placed at a distance of L/3.5 or less from the sides of the grounding grid, wherein L is the length of a given side of the grid; or a plurality of continuous linear impressed current anodes are plowed in or trenched in adjacent to the grounding grid; providing a direct current power source having a positive terminal and a negative terminal; electrically connecting the negative terminal of the direct current power source to the grounding grid and electrically connecting the impressed current anodes to each other and to the positive terminal of the direct current power source; and using the direct current power source to apply a direct current that reduces the effective electrical potential of the grounding grid.