Since the beginning of last year, funds have been awarded to applicants located near sites operated by National Grid’s London Power Tunnels (LPT) project, a £1 billion scheme to rewire South London via deep underground tunnels. The 32.5km route runs through sites including Wimbledon, Kings Avenue, Bengeworth Road, Kidbrooke, Eltham, Hurst and Crayford.
The 132,000 volt line, operated by National Grid Electricity Distribution (formerly Western Power Distribution ), used to run close to homes and over gardens in Nailsea. The wires between the pylons were removed in spring 2023, and now the pylon structures have disappeared too.
Across the Hinkley Connection Project, 249 pylons are being removed from the Somerset landscape to make way for the 143 new pylons (116 T-pylons and 27 lattice pylons) being erected to form the new high voltage electricity line from Bridgwater to Avonmouth.
The removal of the lattice pylons brings the works within the Reserve, which have been ongoing since March 2023, another step closer to completion. In this time work has included cables being installed, temporary work areas built and T-pylons constructed. The latter stages of the works will involve reinstatement of the land with all construction activity completed by 2025.
The pylon has been removed as part of the Hinkley Connection Project. The new high voltage electricity line – comprising 27 new lattice pylons in Avonmouth - has been re-routed in the area, enabling the removal of the existing line over Avonmouth School and Daisy’s nursery.
The wires between the pylons which over sailed the school playground were removed in spring 2023.
The four Year 12 students from Ysgol Friars School in Bangor – Chloe Hooton, Kanishk Patil, Marcus Maniago, and Thea Hummel – won the award for ‘Best Use of Mechanical Engineering Principles’ for their EESW (Engineering Education Scheme Wales) STEM Cymru Sixth Form Project entry.
Step-changes needed across all aspects of new infrastructure
Energy infrastructure is critical to delivering on the commitment for the UK to reach net zero by 2050.
Representing a world first for pylon design, the first T-pylon to be built was constructed in September 2021 near East Huntspill.
T-pylons are quicker to erect than traditional lattice pylons and 47 more T-pylons were completed, including installation of the conductors by the end of 2022.
The last of the T-structures’ 232 diamond-shaped insulators – which hold the high-voltage conductors in a diamond ‘earring’ shape – was recently lifted by crane into place on a T-pylon between Yatton and Kenn in North Somerset by National Grid and principal contractor Balfour Beatty.
The Armed Forces Covenant represents a promise by the nation that those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly. All 407 local authorities in mainland Great Britain and four Northern Ireland councils have pledged to uphold the Armed Forces Covenant. Thousands of organisations have signed the covenant, including businesses and charities.
Eastern Green Link 2 (EGL2) will see the creation of a 525kV, 2GW high voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea transmission cable from Peterhead in Scotland to Drax in England. The longest HVDC cable in the UK and the UK’s single largest electricity transmission project ever, providing enough electricity to power 2 million UK homes.