New underground cables pass the test
The North Wessex Downs Visual Impact Provision (VIP) project has marked another key milestone after the new cables buried underground, which will replace the 4.6 km of overhead electricity line and 13 pylons, successfully passed a series of high-voltage tests.
Following all the hard work that’s gone on already – digging trenches, laying ducting and jointing the cables, the next step is to make sure that it works. Testing the new underground cables is a crucial stage, ensuring they can operate safely and effectively once connected.
A specialist company, KEMA Labs, conducted the testing, which involved bringing specialist equipment to site that energised the cables with 260 kV for one hour to check and confirm their capability to safely transmit the necessary voltage once in operation.
With all the technical planning and expertise involved in this project, we were confident that our HV testing would go smoothly, and it was great to see everything working as it should. These tests found no issues with the installation of the cables, meaning the circuit is now ready to go live.
The next step will be to permanently energise the underground cables next year, which will then allow for the overhead line and pylons to finally be disconnected and then dismantled.
Fiona Chikandwa, Project Supervisor for the North Wessex Downs VIP project, said: “Successfully completing the high-voltage tests for the new underground cables is a huge achievement for the project. With the safety and reliability of the cable circuit officially verified, we can now move on to the next and most exciting phase, where we will be preparing to permanently take down the 13 pylons.”
If you have any questions, please get in touch with the VIP project team by sending an email to [email protected] or calling 0330 134 0051. If we are unable to answer your call, please leave a message and one of our team will call you back.