Electricity supply and distribution companies often encounter faults in buried power cables due to ageing or damage.

As power cables are typically supplied in lengths of no more than 300 metres, numerous joints are inevitably installed and buried along the cable route. These joints can often become the source of cable faults, leaving the cable out of service until the fault is located, repaired, and returned to service.

Surge generators are used in conjunction with pre-location and pinpoint fault-location equipment to accurately identify the precise position of cable faults.