Responsive Image Banner

Patented tech aims to pull power cables with 80% less digging

UK utility contractor JSM Group developed a patented system designed to remove decommissioned, fluid-filled underground power cables without the need for full-length trenching.

JSM Group employees. Image: JSM Group Image: JSM Group

Called the Non-Intrusive Cable Extraction (NICE) system, the company said it views the proprietary tech and process as a gamechanger for trenchless excavation.

Developed in-house and now deployed on live projects nationwide, NICE replaces continuous open-cut excavation with a targeted “two-pit” approach. Instead of digging trenches, crews create small entry and exit pits along a straight section of cable, cap the ends to contain residual cable oil and extract the cable in a controlled pull.

JSM said the method reduces excavation volumes by 80–90% compared with conventional trenching, sharply cutting spoil generation, reinstatement needs, and site occupation time.

Additionally, by preventing oil leakage during removal, the process is said to eliminate a key contamination risk and supports 100% recycling of recovered conductors and materials.

The reduced excavation footprint also lowers noise, dust, traffic disruption, and heavy plant movements, making it suited to urban streets, environmentally sensitive sites, and areas with high permitting or lane-rental charges, JSM said.

UK-based National Grid Electricity Transmission and several UK Distribution Network Operators have approved the method for use in asset decommissioning programmes.

What’s driving a 70% decrease in US trench worker fatalities? US data shows a 70% decrease in trench-related deaths in 2024 from 2022
STAY CONNECTED

Receive the information you need when you need it through our world-leading magazines, newsletters and daily briefings.

Sign up

Longer reads
Skanska calls for EU procurement reform to drive climate action
A new report from Sweden-based contractor Skanska highlights the need for procurement reform
How visual data and AI are driving smarter jobsites
Julie Pistritto, VP of Sales, Sensera Systems, on how AI can help construction create smarter, and safter, jobsites 
US Faster Labor Contracts Act draws union support, pushback from contractor group
A developing regulation in the US is receiving mixed reviews from the construction industry
CONNECT WITH THE TEAM
Andy Brown Editor, Editorial, UK - Wadhurst Tel: +44 (0) 1892 786224 E-mail: [email protected]
Neil Gerrard Senior Editor, Editorial, UK - Wadhurst Tel: +44 (0) 7355 092 771 E-mail: [email protected]
Eleanor Shefford Brand Manager Tel: +44 (0) 1892 786 236 E-mail: [email protected]
CONNECT WITH SOCIAL MEDIA