National Grid is an electricity and gas company that connects consumers to energy sources through its networks. In Britain, National Grid runs the gas and electricity systems that society is built on, delivering gas and electricity across the country. In the North Eastern US, it connects more than seven million gas and electric customers to vital energy sources, essential for our modern lifestyles.

Much of the electrical network infrastructure in use throughout the UK has reached the end of its life, jeopardising service resilience and requiring extensive and costly maintenance. Lodge Road substation in London required significant refurbishment and Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions was awarded the £10 million contract for the design and installation of 12km of 400kV/66kV circuits, delivering a complete end to end solution for five 66kV double circuits, with work starting in 2006.

With limited access to the substation sites, detailed logistical planning was required, and the challenge for Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions was to find a way of pulling 12km of cable, weighing 30kg per metre, through intricate tunnels. The solution was to use Balfour Beatty’s own motorised cable rollers innovation, designed to ease cable installation in restricted spaces, resulting in greater efficiency and reduced manpower; which in turn reduces time lost to injury.

The project also required the removal of two existing oil filled cables from within congested tunnels, replacing them with XLPE cables.  This required unique measures to avoid oil spillages during decommissioning, as the existing tunnels are close to sensitive environmental areas.  During the refurbishment works, the site generated great interest, and in July 2008 was visited by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The refurbishment of Lodge Road substation has ensured that the vital electricity supply essential to modern life will continue for years to come for residents and businesses in the South East.