3.2 Overhead Infrastructure –
Florida Power & Light
Electrical service is provided to
the Town primarily through an
overhead 13kV power grid. The grid
is comprised of feeder lines, radial
primary taps, and secondary service
drops. As discussed in Section 3.1, there are approximately
37 pole-miles of overhead electrical infrastructure. The grid
is fed by 12 main distribution cables. Eleven of these cables
are subaqueous Intracoastal Waterway crossings and one is an
aerial feeder on SR A1A at the southern municipal limits of
the Town. These main distribution cables effectively break the
island up into 12 service areas based on the total load capacity
of each cable. The service areas are all interconnected through
a series of switches that provide redundancy in the event that
there is a problem with any specific cable.
To better understand how power is delivered to individual
homes and businesses, the following is a brief overview of
the various components of the existing electrical system that
exists within the Town. Electrical power enters the Town
through one of the twelve main feeder cables described above.
12 | CHAPTER THREE
These distribution feeders then branch off to subsequent
distribution feeder wires within each of the 12 distribution
service areas. Each of the service areas are interconnected with
aerial switches which provide system redundancy so that all
the feeder wires essentially work together to provide power to
the Town. Many of the Town’s feeder wires exist on the main
north-south arterial roads. Branching from these feeder wires
are the primary distribution wires. These wires are generally
those wires that are located in the rear yard easements. The
primary wires are connected to the overhead transformers
which reduce the voltage to a level that is required by the
customer. Secondary service cables then run from the
transformer to a service drop. Service drops are where the
wires run down the poles and transition to an underground
service, or run aerially, to the meter location.
There are some isolated areas of complete underground
electrical infrastructure within the Town, including feeder and
primary duct banks. Since 1982, the Town has required that
service drops be buried underground from the primary pole
line to the structure when any new building is constructed or
major renovation occurs. However, there are still a significant
number of aerial service drops to both residential and
commercial buildings within the Town.
The following table provides general information related to
approximate quantities that make up the FPL power grid within
the Town:
Table 3–1
FPL Power System Information
Number of Existing Electric Meters
Number of Utility Poles
8,215 – Residential /
1,383 – Commercial
1970 (approx.)
Approx. Length of Overhead Wire 37 miles
Approx. Length of Underground Wire 33 miles
Number of Overhead Transformers 810
Number of At-Grade Transformers 380
Number of Overhead Switches
Number of Overhead Capacitor Banks
1,120
28
Sources: Florida Power and Light and Conversion of Aerial to Underground Utilities
Analysis, R.W. Beck, November 2006
3.3 Overhead Infrastructure – Comcast
Comcast provides the
Town with cable television
and communications
service through a mix of
overhead and underground
backbone fiber optic lines
that then transition to coaxial service lines to the building.
Based on maps provided by Comcast and observations made
by Kimley‑Horn, there are approximately 83 miles of fiber
and coaxial lines in the Town of which 46 miles are already
underground. The network is fed by two main fiber optic
cables. The northern feed is a subaqueous fiber optic cable
crossing of the Intracoastal Waterway that transitions from
underground to overhead near the landing point in Town. The
southern feed is a buried fiber optic cable that originates south
of the Town municipal limits.
To better understand how cable television is delivered to
individual homes and businesses, the following is a brief
overview of the various components of the existing cable
television and communications system that exists within the
Town. Cable television and communications service enters the
TOWN OF PALM BEACH