SDG&E contracted with Thermal, Calif.-based Natina Products LLC to stain 10 lattice towers at a section of the Sunrise Powerlink Transmission Project, a recently completed, 500 kV transmission line designed to carry renewable resources from California's Imperial Valley to San Diego.
The Natina Steel varnish, which Natina Products applied to a section of the project traversing the Cleveland National Forest, creates a rustic-brown finish on galvanized surfaces without harming the protection offered by the galvanized layer.
According to the company, Natina Steel’s mottled appearance creates a camouflage-like effect, rendering the towers virtually invisible among the forest’s landscape. The product contains oxidizers found naturally in most soils - making National Steel environmentally safe, the company adds.
Natina Steel was applied to the towers over 12 working days, and the color development occurred over the following two weeks.
