Morgan Sindall Infrastructure has secured a new overhead line contract with National Grid to upgrade the ZA route, stretching from the Elstree substation just south of Watford to the Sundon substation just north of Luton.
The contract involves installing a higher rated conductor along a single circuit of the route, which is needed to enhance power flow into London.
The route consists of 104 overhead line towers, spanning 35km. This project presents an opportunity to use Morgan Sindall Infrastructure’s newly approved twin Catch Block system on a live project for the first time, with several major road networks and power lines to cross.
The Catch Block technology enables the protection of undersailing third party assets during the replacement of conductors, with minimal disruption to existing infrastructure; providing an alternative to traditional scaffolding protection. The technology is deployed from tower to tower, which avoids disruption to third parties below.
Commenting on the announcement, Peter Kirk, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure Managing Director for Energy and Water, commented, "Our relationship with National Grid is one of our longest-standing and we are thrilled to sustain this partnership. The award of this new contract aligns with our strategic focus on the energy market and provides a great platform for us to showcase our rapidly strengthening overhead line capability."
Notably, this will be the first major reconductoring project completed by Morgan Sindall Infrastructure under the RIIO T2 framework.
The construction phase is expected to commence in late May, early June 2024. At its peak, 75-line workers will be engaged in delivering the reconductoring.
Electricity tower