In Spring 2020 we embarked upon a seven-year, £1 billion project, to rewire South London via deep underground tunnels. This vital work will help keep Londoners connected to safe and reliable electricity supplies.
In total, 32.5km of 3mdiameter tunnels are being constructed deep below the road network between Wimbledon and Crayford, which will carry high voltage electricity cables.
Most of the electricity supply in South London is currently transmitted through underground cables, traditionally found just below the road surface. Work to maintain them is carried out at street level and can be disruptive.
Tunnel construction is well underway, with the project due to be complete and fully operational in 2027. It follows the successful completion of phase 1 in 2018, which was a seven-year, £1 billion programme, building 32km of tunnels and two new substations in North London.
Intermediate shafts and headhouses are required at key points along the route of the tunnel. The tunnel boring machines will link these points as it progresses along the routes.
The headhouses will be designed in order to minimise their visual impact on the local area. For example, materials are being chosen to complement the surrounding environment in agreement with the local council.
In February 2011, we embarked upon a seven-year, £1bn infrastructure project to rewire the Capital, the first major investment in the electricity transmission system in London since the 1960s. The project, known as London Power Tunnels, saw the construction of 32kms of underground tunnels, running from Hackney in the east to Willesden in the west, and from Kensal Green to Wimbledon in the south. The newly built 10 transmission circuits can now carry some 20% of the Capital''s electricity demand and stretched out they would run all the way around the M25.
As a market-traded commodity, electricity doesn''t have just one price: buyers and sellers can enter into contracts hours, days, weeks, or months in advance. This site shows the price on the APX spot market, which reflects the real-time wholesale price of electricity in Great Britain.
Higher prices encourage additional generation and discourage consumption, while lower prices have the opposite effect. Many forms of renewable power generation are subsidised through the Contracts For Difference scheme, and can continue to profitably generate power even if the price is below zero.
The burning of coal, gas, and biomass produces carbon dioxide. The increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide from around 280 parts per million before the industrial revolution to over 400 parts per million today has resulted in a climate crisis, as increased global average temperatures cause progressively more extreme weather.
The demand is the net amount of power being drawn from the National Grid. As the grid is balanced, demand is equal to the power being generated plus the net amount of power being transferred to the grid.
Most electrical power used in Great Britain is generated by power stations located around the country. These power stations use three types of fuel:
Fossil fuels are the remains of ancient plants and animals. Burning these to produce power causes carbon dioxide and other pollutants to be emitted, worsening the climate crisis and damaging human health.
Renewables are resources that are rapidly replenished naturally. Replacing fossil fuels with renewables dramatically reduces carbon dioxide emissions.
Other sources are those that may be preferable to fossil fuels but have unwanted effects of their own, such as the creation of radioactive waste or the destruction of old-growth forests.
Cables known as interconnectors link the National Grid to the electric power transmission networks of neighbouring countries, transferring energy from countries with lower electricity prices to those with higher electricity prices.
Energy storage systems store energy when electricity prices are lower and release it when prices are higher. Historically, pumped storage systems have been the main form of energy storage, but battery storage systems have become increasingly common as costs have fallen.
The operators of interconnectors and energy storage systems earn a profit from the difference in electricity prices between countries or over time, while increasing the resilience of energy supply and helping to stabilise prices as demand and generation fluctuate.
Gas-fired power stations burn natural gas to drive a turbine. Most gas-fired power stations use the excess heat from burning the gas to produce steam to drive a second turbine. Burning natural gas causes carbon dioxide and other pollutants to be emitted, worsening the climate crisis and damaging human health.
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