London Power Tunnels: National Grid and Linxon breaks ground on a new substation
- April 26, 2023
A major milestone has been reached in the construction of a new 400kV electricity substation in Bengeworth Road, Lambeth with teams from National Grid and Linxon making a start on the construction of the substation.
The new substation in the heart of London is part of National Grid’s London Power Tunnels project, a seven-year, £1 billion project, to rewire South London via deep underground tunnels. This vital work to replace aging high-voltage cables will expand capacity and help keep Londoners connected to secure and reliable electricity supplies.
It is being built on UK Power Network’s existing substation site boundary at Bengeworth Road and will connect in the center of the LPT route from Wimbledon to Crayford. The substation will play a critical role in ensuring homes and businesses across London are powered, voltage limits on the transmission network remain stable, and enabling clean, green energy is transported to where it is needed most.
The high voltage substation, to be completed by 2026, will be built using Hitachi Energy’s SF6 free gas insulated switchgear technology in a UK first, and forms part of National Grid’s ambition to have no SF6 in electrical assets by 2050.
Also read: Hitachi Energy And Linxon Collaborate To Strengthen London Power Tunnel
Key milestone
“We are proud to be supporting National Grid in the delivery of this critical infrastructure, providing secure and reliable power to London, where we are deploying Hitachi Energy’s Econiq SF6 free solution, further demonstrating Linxon’s commitment to sustainable power the world with carbon-free energy. Today marks a key milestone for the integrated project team as we break ground and construction commences”, said Chris Goodwin, Chief Operating Officer, Linxon.
Net-zero goals
National Grid has a continued program of investment into the UK energy transition, which will see £16bn invested from 2021-2026 to support the UK’s net zero goals. It has launched the largest overhaul of the grid in generations — The Great Grid Upgrade — that will enable millions of UK homes and businesses to use renewable energy.
