Bengeworth Road site – Delay to Super Grid Transformer delivery
Unfortunately, recent storms have prevented the SGT from being shipped and we are now unable to carry out the delivery on the planned date. Owing to this, Coldharbour Lane will remain open between Saturday 14 and Monday 16 December 2024.
We will provide further information on the rescheduled delivery dates in the new year. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the delay. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0800 093 1716 or email [email protected].
In Spring 2020 we embarked upon a £1 billion project to rewire South London via deep underground tunnels. In total, 32.5km of 3m diameter tunnels are being constructed deep below the road network between Wimbledon and Crayford, which will carry high voltage electricity cables.
UK Power Networks, the electricity distribution company that distributes electricity across London, requires National Grid to build a new connection to its high-voltage electricity transmission network, which we have a legal obligation to provide.
To achieve this, we are building a substation and headhouse within UK Power Network’s existing substation site boundary at Bengeworth Road, to connect to our London Power Tunnels (LPT) route.
By doing this work now as part of the tunnelling project, overall disruption will be minimised in the future as UK Power Networks will not need to replace their existing cables which currently run beneath the local road network.
Construction of the shaft was completed in May 2022, with the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) passing from New Cross to Bengeworth Road in Summer 2022. As of early 2024, we are progressing with the construction of the headhouse and substation.
The LPT project, designed to bolster London's electricity network in response to increasing demand and support a net-zero future, is set to be fully operational by 2026.
Our Bengeworth Road site is located at Bengeworth Road, London SE5 9AE.
National Grid is committed to working with and supporting the local communities around its project sites. To support communities around the LPT project, National Grid and our partners are delivering:
In November 2023, we published a Social Impact Report for the LPT school outreach programme, which illustrates the social benefits the programme has delivered for young people across South London. Working alongside early-talent specialists, Connectr, we have supported over 100,000 young people during the initial three and half years of the programme – achieving our ambition of engaging over 100,000 students before 2025.
You can read the full Social Impact Report by clicking here.
We are committed to keeping the local community informed about our plans. Over December 2020 and January 2021, we held three public engagement events with local residents.
Following this, we set up a Community Liaison Group (CLG) to work closely with residents and provide them with an opportunity to have any questions answered by the project team. Throughout 2021-2023, we held a number of CLG meetings to make sure neighbours and stakeholders are kept up-to-date with our progress.
You can access all presentations and minutes from previous events and meetings below.
If you would like to discuss the project in greater detail or have any questions, please contact our community relations team using the details below:
Call our Freephone helpline number: 0800 093 1716 (lines open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday)
Email: [email protected]
Write to: FREEPOST NATIONAL GRID