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Video | Balfour Beatty ‘automates’ installation of 33kV cables
Neil Gerrard
Balfour Beatty has revealed details of how it “automated” the installation of a 250m 33kV cable underneath the woodland of South Yorkshire, using an innovative “cable push” system.
The cable, which connects the National Grid to the region’s Northern Powergrid substations, was being installed as part of the Neepsend project in Sheffield, on behalf of National Grid.
Traditionally fitted by a winch and bond method, the terrain and the tight bends the cable was required to travel meant the traditional methods of cable laying were not suitable.
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Balfour Beatty’s “cable push system” instead used a motorised machine to drive the cable under and through the ground instead of operatives utilising a winch system and manually guiding the cable through.
The innovative technique not only maximises efficiencies in cable laying but improves safety in working practices by automating the process while decreasing cable tension, significantly reducing the risk of damage to the cable, Balfour Beatty said. This approach has not previously been widely used on National Grid projects.
Andrew Smith, head of operations for Balfour Beatty’s power transmission and distribution business said: “Our engineering excellence combined with our commitment to ensuring the continued reliability of the National Grid network was instrumental in implementing this innovative, forward-thinking approach.
“Deploying bespoke resources and tailoring the solution to the environment allowed for a safer delivery of this complex cable-laying project while also providing the most effective and efficient solution for National Grid.”
The November/December 2025 issue of Construction Management magazine is now available to read in digital format.
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