Installing infrastructure poles, such as lighting, power, or telecommunication poles, in difficult-to-access areas presents a significant challenge. Mountainous regions, wetlands, forests, and even urban areas with restricted access pose numerous difficulties for contractors. Traditional poles made of concrete, steel, or wood are heavy and often require specialised, expensive equipment, further complicating the entire process. Fortunately, advancements in material technology have provided a solution in the form of composite poles, which greatly simplify installations even in the most demanding conditions.
Challenges of Installing Poles in Hard-to-Reach Areas
Traditional poles made from concrete or steel are heavy and require complex logistics. Transporting them to the installation site, particularly in mountainous or forested areas, is both challenging and costly. Access roads may be narrow, unstable, or entirely impassable for heavy machinery. Often, the only solution is to build temporary infrastructure, generating additional costs and extending the project timeline.
“The installation of poles made from traditional materials often requires cranes, excavators, or other specialised machines,” explains Łukasz Krajka, Chief Technologist at NCT. “The work frequently involves two separate installation teams, which doubles the labour and equipment costs and reduces efficiency. In the case of composite poles, whether for lighting, telecommunication, or power lines, we can easily eliminate the primary installation challenges, thereby reducing investment costs,” sums up Łukasz Krajka.
Composite Poles – The Ideal Solution for Difficult Conditions
Composite poles offer the perfect solution for difficult terrain thanks to their unique properties. Their main advantage is their lightness—a composite pole measuring 8 meters weighs only 60 kg, while their traditional counterparts can weigh up to 10 times more. The low weight significantly facilitates transportation to the installation site—in cases of areas that are difficult to reach, where access for heavy equipment is impossible, composite poles can be transported even by smaller off-road vehicles, and in some cases, carried manually by the installation team. In practice, this means installation teams can operate in areas unreachable by traditional methods. The lightness of composite poles also increases transport efficiency—up to 300 poles can be transported on a single lorry.
COMPARATIVE DATA FOR 8-METER POLES
| MATERIAL | Steel | Concrete | Composite |
|---|---|---|---|
| WEIGHT | 100 kg | 600 kg | 60 kg |
| ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY | Conductive Material | Conductive Material | Dielectric |
| ANTI-GRAFFITI COATING | Difficult to Remove | Difficult or Impossible to Remove | Easily Washable |
| TRANSPORT/LOAD CAPACITY COSTS | high | very high | low |
| INSTALLATION | Using Crane (HDS) | Using Crane (HDS) | Two Workers Without Crane |
“The low weight of the poles significantly boosts transportation efficiency and workplace safety,” emphasises Łukasz Krajka. “The ease of transport and the ability to install without heavy machinery make composite poles the ideal choice where traditional methods fail. Thanks to them, infrastructure projects become simpler, faster, and more economical, benefiting both investors and installation teams,” the expert notes.
Nevertheless, weight is not the only advantage of composite poles. Composites perform well in almost all conditions due to their exceptional properties. They do not conduct electricity and are highly resistant to adverse weather conditions (they work well in both extremely low and high temperatures). They are also resistant to acids, road salt, and animal urine. Since composites have no scrap value, pole elements are not stolen, and they are also vandal-resistant. All these factors make not only their installation but also their long-term operation economically beneficial, as confirmed by customer feedback.
