National Grid has announced it has installed overhead conductors on all 116 of its new T-pylons, marking a major milestone for its Hinkley Connection Project.
The project, which aims to bring low-carbon power to six million UK homes, spans 57km in total between National Grid’s new Shurton substation on the Hinkley Point C site and its existing Seabank substation in Avonmouth. Of that, 48.5km is made up of overhead lines, mostly T-pylons, while an 8.5km stretch of underground cable runs through the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
With each T-pylon supporting 12 conductors, National Grid and its contractor, Balfour Beatty, have installed a total of 460km of power line between the T-structures – equivalent to the distance between Bridgwater and Paris.
The T-pylon design involves six conductor spans attached to each diamond earring-shaped insulator on either side of the structure. Wires are installed in sections of up to a dozen T-pylons at a time, a job that can take two weeks for each section.
Conductors were transported to each stringing site on large drums weighing up to seven tonnes and standing eight feet tall before engineering teams hoisted the wires across the T-pylons.
In total, around 1,288 tonnes of overhead conductors were strung between the T-pylons and the stringing was completed with the fixture of conductors to a T-pylon near the village of Yatton.
As part of the project, National Grid is also removing 67km of existing overhead lines and pylons, 249 in total, from the Somerset landscape.
More than 30 pylons running parallel to the new underground section in the Mendip Hills are being removed, leaving the landscape pylon-free for the first time in nearly a century.
Steven Haskayne, project director for National Grid, said: “With the T-pylons fully strung, our Hinkley Connection Project is really starting to take shape. It’s a proud moment for all the teams involved, from our National Grid colleagues to our contractors, all of whom have helped us reach this milestone safely and on schedule.”
Tony Wilson, managing director of Balfour Beatty UK Power Transmission and Distribution, said: “The efficient delivery of overhead power lines for the Hinkley Connect Project is a testament to our technical capabilities and reinforces our close partnership with National Grid to secure and deliver sustainable energy solutions.
“As we look ahead, we remain committed to supporting National Grid projects and contributing to the creation of a resilient and secure low-carbon energy supply for communities across the UK.”
