Overview – Winter 2022
In December 2021, National Grid’s contractor, Balfour Beatty, completed the installation of high voltage, 400kV cables under the Mendip Hills AONB. In total, the team has pulled 102 kilometres of cable (the distance between Bridgwater and Gloucester) since the work begun in February 2021.
Work now continues with joining and testing the cables, ahead of energising the cables later in 2022. Full reinstatement and completion of the underground works is expected by 2024.
Once the new cable is energised and the existing 37 kilometres of existing 132,000 volt pylons owned by Western Power Distribution (WPD) between Bridgwater and Sandford are removed, this will be the first time that this area of the Mendip Hills has been pylon-free since the 1960s.
National Grid started to remove WPD’s pylons in 2021. This work is part of the changes we’re making to WPD’s network that’ll see 67 kilometres of existing overhead line, including 249 pylons removed by 2025, to make way for and reduce the visual impact of the new T-pylons.
We recognise that our construction activity impacts local communities and work with our contractors to limit that as much as possible.
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