£35M Little Barford UKPN electricity network upgrade completed
14 MAR, 2024 BY
TOM PASHBY
New cable circuits, re-routing of overhead power lines and the installation of new towers have been completed by UK Power Networks (UKPN) in a project which centred around the substation at Little Barford in Bedfordshire.
The project started in 2018 and involved upgrading grid capacity and reliability for 190,000 properties in Cambridge, Bedford and St Neots.
UKPN said the project was “one of the biggest infrastructure investments in the region for many years,” and all the dismantling and replacement of equipment took place under cover.
It said 10m high concrete frames which had been erected as part of the works had been taken down, apart from one left standing for “a few extra months” while house martins nest on it.
UKPN worked alongside Kier, Wood and Morrison Energy Services to install new 132kV underground cables that run 2.5km between Little Barford and East Socon.
The cables were installed with directional drills which dug under main roads, a river and a golf course which UKPN said had “minimum impact on the local environment.”
The company said the works would help the UK on its way to net zero, as the country uses electrification as a route to decarbonisation.
UK Power Networks project manager Arinze Udenwa said; "The improvement works at Little Barford have replaced old equipment with modern kit that will increase network reliability for years to come.”