Cutting edge pylons take shape
The world’s first operational T-pylon – the first new design for an electricity pylon in Great Britain for nearly a century – has been erected and will carry the low carbon electricity from HPC to six million homes. A total of 116 of the new T-pylons will be erected in Somerset along a 57km route. The new T-pylons have a single pole and T-shaped cross arms, which hold the wires in a diamond ‘earring’ shape. At around 35m tall, the new look T-pylons are a third shorter than the traditional lattice pylons and have a smaller footprint. The 116 T-pylons will run between Bridgwater and Portbury, except through the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) where the new connection goes underground. The work also includes new lattice T-pylons – both through Avonmouth industrial estate and reconfiguring National Grid’s network outside HPC – as well as the removal of 249 pylons between Bridgwater and Avonmouth that have stood for a generation. Construction of the first 48 T-pylons is under way by Balfour Beatty, with the remaining 68 set to be built in early 2022.
First turbine hall steelwork delivered
William Hare Ltd (WHL) has delivered the first steelwork that will form part of the turbine hall structure on Unit 1. The columns, which were erected using a 400-tonne crawler crane, weigh between 15 and 20 tonnes each, comprising fabricated plate girders along with a beam tied between each connection.
New GGBS silos at batching plant
Four new silos have been installed at the concrete batching plant. The 250-tonne silos will be used to store ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS), providing contingency for the replenishment of concrete supplies to the site.
Preparing to energise the auxiliary transformer
An important step has been taken to energise the 400KV auxiliary transformer to enable it to be connected to the National Grid. Bylor handed over the first area to Kier BAM to install duct banks for the 400KV cables after constructing underground galleries and other structures in preparation.
Beatrice goes full bore
Tunnel boring machine (TBM) Beatrice has now advanced into full-bore mode, working on intake tunnel 2. The 150m-long machine will be manned 24/7 to bore the third and final tunnel, which is 3.5km long, as part of HPC’s cooling water system.
Taken from The Point October 2021
