Balfour Beatty has won a £214m contract to install the first live T-pylons in the country at Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.
The north and south 400kV overhead line project, awarded through the National Grid’s Overhead Line Design and Build Framework, is one of three awards within the framework and is part of the Hinkley Point C connection scheme, linking the new nuclear reactor to the national grid.
Balfour Beatty will design, supply, install, test and commission a new overhead line spanning 48.4km and crossing through the Mendip Hills in Somerset. On completion, the new line will connect Hinkley Point C with a new substation in Avonmouth, Bristol.
The company will use National Grid’s new T-pylon design, which at 35m tall is around a third shorter than traditional pylons. Despite being shorter, the new pylons can carry a similar amount of power to their predecessor and each arm can support 60t in weight.
Balfour Beatty said the technology also improve efficiency, reliability and safety by reducing the need for the workforce to work at height.
Mark Bullock, Balfour Beatty’s chief executive for its Rail and Utilities business, said: “Our extensive knowledge and unique capability in delivering major complex Overhead Line schemes, makes us ideally positioned to play a key role in helping to deliver the first nuclear power station to be built in the UK for more than 20 years.
“We look forward to working with National Grid to successfully and safely deliver low-carbon electricity for around six million homes across the UK.”
Works are due to commence this month, with completion expected in summer 2025.
