T.M. so to summarize your comments, when everything is done well there will be no problem. I guess I could share your view, only as of now, I doubt this will often be the case.

My concern is that the process of assembling rebar with wire ties is engineered to serve structural requirements, not electrical continuity or current capacity. Wire ties are only a temporary structure in the concrete. That wire ties last beyond the initial curing of the concrete or are electrically conductive is only by happenstance, not design.

If we are going to make use of rebar for lightning protection, which requires a high current carrying capacity, then the rebar assembly should be engineered and the rebar assembly controlled for this new purpose. I think current rebar assembly standards are inadequate to safely carry tens of thousand Amperes of current.

Once adequate rebar assembly standards are set we can address the next issue; are we going to make the concrete guys electrical subcontractors, or are we going to have the electricians fiddling around in the dirt before the concrete is poured?

Cheers,