Sources · utilities
Reels from utility line work
Checked 9 November 2026 — Electric utility line work empties the largest reels in the region: aluminium conductor on A-series wooden reels from 42 to 72 inches, and transmission cable on steel reels that go back to their makers. Utility contractors' yards refill on a cycle, which makes them a natural fit for a recurring pickup of the wooden reels.
From the reel desk · Checked 9 November 2026
Who serves where
From Maryland's Office of People's Counsel: Pepco serves most of Montgomery and Prince George's, with 582,000 Maryland customers, and the District. BGE serves parts of Prince George's and Montgomery. Potomac Edison, a FirstEnergy company, serves Frederick County and portions of Montgomery. SMECO, the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, serves Charles, Calvert and St. Mary's. In Northern Virginia, Loudoun's transmission projects are Dominion's.
The big projects
Capital Grid, District of Columbia. The DC Public Service Commission describes Pepco's project as about ten miles of new 230 kV underground transmission line, the rebuild of the Champlain and Harvard substations (60 to 110 years old), the replacement of aging underground cable and a new Mount Vernon substation at First and K Streets NW.
Loudoun transmission. Loudoun County's page lists, among others: Aspen to Golden, a new 500/230 kV line and two substations near Ashburn, approved in 2025 and affirmed by the Supreme Court of Virginia in February 2026; Golden to Mars, 500/230 kV with two 230 kV loops; BECO to Firehouse, two 230 kV lines in Sterling, filed May 2026; Mars to Wishing Star, under construction; Morrisville to Wishing Star, 500 kV, filed February 2026; and Potomac Edison's 138 kV rebuild and new 500 kV line in northern Loudoun, filed October 2026.
The reels
- A-series nailed reels, which Southwire builds for bare aluminium and ACSR conductor: A-29 at 42 inches, A-38 at 48, A-62 at 60, A-76 at 66, A-99 at 68.
- Secondary and service cable on smaller N-series and C-series reels.
- Steel reels for transmission conductor and underground cable, returnable to their makers. Southwire's run from 60 inches to 158.
Utility yards
A utility contractor's yard empties reels steadily as crews finish jobs. That means:
- Steel sorted out every time, serial numbers logged against the 12-month credit window Southwire, for one, sets.
- Large nailed reels grouped by size; a flatbed takes a dozen or more 48 to 60 inch reels.
- A recurring pickup, monthly or at each project close-out, so reels do not sit long enough to rot.
Reuse
A-series reels are strong, and a sound one is worth placing as a working reel or on a farm. They are among the reels the desk is most likely to buy.
What each source leaves behind
| Source | Usual reels | Usually goes |
|---|---|---|
| Data-centre campuses | Large nailed reels of medium-voltage and feeder cable; mid-size reels of fiber | A truckload of one maker's reels to its program; mixed brands and short loads to the desk |
| Fiber and BEAD builds | Small and mid-size reels, a good share of them plywood | Plywood and part loads to the desk |
| Utility line work | Big conductor reels, wooden and steel | Steel back to its maker; wooden reels by program or to the desk |
| Electrical contractors | Building wire on small reels, a handful per job | The desk, pooled into runs |
| Distributors | Every brand and size, emptied at the counter | Sorted by stencil; the rest to the desk on a standing schedule |
| Federal construction | The same reels as any contractor job | The desk, booked around badging and escort rules |
Handling, in short
- Roll only on firm, level ground, pushing from behind the reel, and in the direction of any arrow painted on the flange.
- Chock both flanges every time a reel stands on its rims, front and back.
- Stay uphill. Nobody stands in the path a reel would take if it got away.
- Lift with forks long enough to reach under both flanges, or with a shaft through the arbor hole and a spreader bar so the slings clear the flanges.
- Never drop a reel off a tailgate or a dock edge. A cracked flange turns a reusable reel into scrap.
- Store on rims, on drained gravel or pavement, with walkways between rows. Lay small reels flat only where stacks stay square and low.
- Keep paper with steel. Serial numbers and invoices travel with any returnable reel until its maker has it back.
The details: moving reels, storing reels, readying a pickup.
Sources
Each opened and read on 9 November 2026.
- DC Public Service Commission, Capital Grid Project: Pepco project: 10 miles of new 230 kV underground line, Champlain and Harvard substations rebuilt, new Mount Vernon substation at First and K Streets NW
- Loudoun County, Transmission Lines in Loudoun County: status of Aspen to Golden, Golden to Mars, BECO to Firehouse, Evergreen Mills, Global Plaza Extension, Mars to Wishing Star and the Potomac Edison Goose Creek rebuild
- Maryland Office of People's Counsel, Your Local Electricity Companies: which utility serves which Maryland counties
- Maryland Office of People's Counsel, Pepco: Pepco serves 582,000 Maryland customers in most of Montgomery and Prince George's
- Southwire, Reel Packaging Information (CableTech Support): reel series, wooden reel dimensions and weights, steel reel dimensions and charges, tag contents; cites NEMA WC26