National Grid’s London Power Tunnels Breakthrough Completes £1 Billion Project’s Tunnelling Activity
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from National Grid.
These bullet points sum up the press release.
- Landmark moment for London Power Tunnels project as 140-tonne boring machine emerges at Eltham site following final subterranean journey
- Breakthrough marks the completion of 32.5km of tunnelling at depths of up to 60m under seven South London boroughs
- Due for completion in 2026, the project is rewiring the capital’s electricity network to boost resilience and future-proof supplies as demand grows
This is the seventh major tunnel in London in recent years to be completed.
- Elstree and St. John’s Wood Cable Tunnel – Electricity – 12 miles – 2005
- Lower Lea Valley Cable Tunnels – Electricity – 3.7 miles – 2008
- Lee Tunnel – Sewage – 4.3 miles – 2016
- New Cross and Finsbury Market Cable Tunnel – Electricity – 3.5 miles – 2017
- Northern Line Extension To Battersea – Rail – 2 miles – 2021
- Elizabeth Line – Rail – 26 miles – 2022
- Silvertown Tunnel – Road – 1 mile – Under Construction
- Thames Tideway Tunnel – Sewage – 16 miles – Under Construction
- Euston Tunnel – Rail – 4.5 miles – Under Construction
Note.
- It is likely that there will be CrossRail 2 and an extension to the Bakerloo Line.
- It certainly seems to have been a prudent decision to create Tunneling and Underground Construction Academy or TUCA to train more tunnellers, before the Elizabeth Line was built.
But I don’t believe that will be all the large tunnels that will be built in the capital.
World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm Produces Power For The First Time
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from SSE.
These bullet points sum up the press release.
- UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hails Dogger Bank’s role in bolstering energy security, creating jobs, lowering costs, and achieving Net Zero
- First power achieved at UK’s Dogger Bank as the first of 277 turbines installed 130km from UK coast
- Dogger Bank is now connected via HVDC technology to Britain’s national grid and providing renewable power to homes and businesses
- Each rotation of the first turbine’s 107m long Haliade-X blades can produce enough clean energy to power an average home for two days
- When complete Dogger Bank will deliver clean energy to six million homes annually
I will repeat a highlight of important paragraphs from the press release.
The Size Of The Dogger Bank Wind Farms
When fully complete, Dogger Bank’s world-record-beating 3.6GW capacity will comprise 277 giant offshore turbines capable of producing enough clean energy to power the equivalent of six million homes annually and deliver yearly CO2 savings equivalent to removing 1.5 million cars from the road.
Note.
- The first 1.2 GW section is scheduled for completion in the next few months.
- Two more sections of the Dogger Bank wind farm will eventually raise the capacity to 6 GW.
This cluster of wind farms certainly shows what can be achieved with British offshore wind power.
Innovative HVDC Technology
Dogger Bank also marks the first use of HVDC transmission technology to connect a British wind farm to National Grid’s UK energy network. This includes the installation of the world’s first unmanned offshore HVDC substation platform at the site, as well as first use of Hitachi Energy’s HVDC Light® transmission system which was successfully executed in record time of 38 months with the highest safety and quality standards.
Note.
- HVDC technology appears to be a more efficient way of transmitting energy under the sea and is now generally used for interconnectors.
- This page on the Hitachi Energy web site is entitled Dogger Bank HVDC Connection and gives a good description of the connection and its advantages.
The HVDC Technology and its installation looks like a real achievement, that can be applied to lots of other offshore wind farms.
XLCC seem to be doing the right thing in building an HVDC cable factory in Scotland. Check out their web site.
The Anonymous Widower 