Hawaii Administrative Rules › Title 6 - DEPARTMENT OF BUDGET AND FINANCE › Division - PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION › Chapter 73 - INSTALLATION, OPERATION, AND MAINTENANCE OF OVERHEAD AND UNDERGROUND ELECTRICAL SUPPLY AND COMMUNICATION LINES › Subchapter 3 - PROVISIONS OF PARTICULAR APPLICABILITY TO HAWAII › Section 6-73-21 - Modifications to the National Electrical Safety Code

Current through June, 2024
As applied to public utilities operating within the State,
					 the Code is modified as follows:
(1)
				  The following definition of "antenna" is added to page 4:
"
antenna.
The part of a transmitting or
					 receiving system that is designed to radiate or to receive electromagnetic
					 waves."
"NOTE: Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, any
					 reference to communication conductor, communication cable, communication
					 circuit, or communication equipment in the Code shall include antenna."
(2) Rule 013B2, page 2, is
				  replaced in its entirety with the following:
"Existing installations, including maintenance
					 replacements, that currently comply with prior editions of the Code or the
					 rules that were in effect at the time of the original installation, need not be
					 modified to comply with these rules except as may be required for safety
					 reasons by the administrative authority."
(3) The following exception is added to Rule
				  94B3a, page 22:
"
EXCEPTION 3:
The equivalent of a bare
					 ground conductor not less than no. 4 AWG copper with a continuous length of at
					 least 40 feet buried at a minimum depth of 8 feet in the earth may be
					 used."
(4) The first
				  paragraph of Rule 96, page 24, is replaced in its entirety with the following:
"Grounding systems shall be designed to minimize hazard to
					 personnel and shall be of sufficiently low impedance (inherently and/or
					 intentionally obtained) that fault grounds which may occur cannot build up
					 voltages dangerous to connected equipment. Grounding systems may consist of
					 buried conductors and grounding electrodes per Rule 94. Individual made
					 electrodes shall, where practical, have a resistance to ground not exceeding 25
					 ohm. If an impedance of less than 25 ohm is not obtained, the equivalent of a
					 ground conductor not less than No. 6 AWG copper connected to two corrosion
					 resisting rods, not less than one-half inch in diameter and 8 feet in length
					 and continuous throughout, driven to a minimum depth of 8 feet in the earth at
					 not less than 6 foot centers, will be considered an effective ground for the
					 purpose of these rules."
(5) In Table
				  235-1, page 123,
				  under "Supply conductors of the same circuit," the "Above 50 kV" class of
				  circuit, with no clearance values specified, is replaced with the following
				  under columns headed "Class of circuit", "Clearance (mm)", and "Clearance
				  (in)", respectively:
"69kV 1219 (mm) 48 (in)"
"138kV 2108 (mm) 83 (in)"
(6) Footnote 3, Table
				  235-5,
				  page 132, is replaced in its entirety with the following: "These values do not
				  apply to conductors of the same circuit or circuits (mounted side-by-side)
				  being carried on adjacent conductor supports. For conductors of the same
				  circuit, the following vertical clearances will apply regarding line-to-line
				  voltage:"
"Open conductors of 46kV 48 (in)"
"Open conductors of 69kV 48 (in)"
"Open conductors of 138kV 83 (in)"
(7) The following new paragraph is added to
				  Rule 235, page 141:
"J. Communication-Supply and Supply Conductors on the Same
					 Crosser in With Supply Conductors of 0-750V Where communication-supply
					 conductors are supported on the same crossarms with supply conductors of 0-750
					 volts, the communication-supply conductors shall preferably be located at the
					 outer pin positions."
(8)
				  Rule 252A, page 171, is replaced in its entirety with the following:
"A. Assumed Vertical Loads The vertical loads on poles,
					 towers, foundations, crossarms, pins, insulators, conductor fastenings, and
					 antennas shall be their own weight plus the weight that they support, including
					 all wires and cables, in accordance with Rules 251A and 251B1, together with
					 the effect of any difference in elevation of supports. Loads due to radial ice
					 shall be computed on wires, cables, and messengers, but need not be computed on
					 supports."
(9) Rule 252B,
				  page 171, applies to total transverse loads on poles, towers, foundations,
				  crossarms, pins, insulators, conductor fastenings, and antennas.
(10) Rule 341A6, page 201, is replaced in its
				  entirety with the following:
"Supply, control, and communication cables shall not be
					 installed in the same duct or conduit unless the cables are maintained or
					 operated by the same utility. In the case where the communication cables are
					 nonconductive fiber optic communication cables and related facilities, these
					 cables for public use, owned by supply utilities, and installed and maintained
					 by telecommunications carriers, may occupy the same duct or conduit system of
					 supply systems; provided that the fiber optic cable and its related facilities
					 are installed and maintained in accordance with specifications and by entities
					 or persons approved by the affected supply utility.