TriConnex Completes Sherford 33KV/11KV Switch Over

After an early 3am start, Sean McHugh as the lead SAP / Engineer on site today completed the existing WPD disconnection of the HV temporary 500kVA overhead line supply and completed the underground connection to the new 33/11kV primary substation to feed existing substations Number 1 and Number 2.

This involved installing temporary generators onto the existing LV network during the early hours to avoid any disruption to customers, and then this allowed us to continue carrying out our HV switching operations to isolate the existing supplies for safety to allow WPD to carry out the disconnection of the OHL Pole, ABSD and associated span of overhead line equipment.

In order for this work to be completed in a well-executed manner, it required planning between all partiers, Sean McHugh (Triconnex Electrical area manager SW) with the IDNO (GTC), the DNO (WPD), our client (Brookbanks), developers (Bovis, Taylor Wimpey, Linden Homes), Ground work contractor (Groundfix), any vulnerable electricity dependant customers on this development as well as the organisation of the onsite teams required to ensure that the operation ran like clockwork.

This is part of the bigger picture and huge leap forward in the development of the electricity infrastructure and importantly gives us the load capacity to facilitate the new higher demand pumping station supply which we are aiming to complete in the next school half term in October.

The generator connections were well prepared in advance and this made for a very quick changeover today both putting them on at 4am and taking them off at 2pm minimising the disruption to all customers on this development which hopefully highlights the great efforts of all involved.