Why are electricity pylons usually strung with six wires? Why isn’t two enough?

Why are electricity pylons usually strung with six wires? Why isn’t two enough?

Electricity pylons are used to support electrical cables that transmit high-voltage electricity from where it’s generated, such as a power station or wind farm, to where it can be distributed to our homes and businesses.

Electricity comes out of a power station at a low voltage, around 10-30 kilovolts (kV).

To transport it over long distances, the voltage is increased using transformers.

This is because the higher the voltage, the less energy is lost as heat during transmission.

The cables are usually made of aluminium or copper and are strung between pylons.

The number of wires strung between pylons depends on the voltage being carried. For example, six wires are used for 400 kV lines.