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

(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.