National Grid has commissioned a new Littlebrook 400 kV substation in Dartford, Kent, to help transmit 2 GW of low carbon and renewable energy from interconnectors and offshore wind farms off the coast of Kent to power around 1.5 million homes.
National Grid and its contractors Balfour Beatty and GE Vernova’s Grid Solutions worked for years to build a replacement for the substation.
The new facility will help reduce the use of sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆), a gas commonly used in the electrical industry to prevent short circuits and to keep the network safe and reliable.
Construction of the new substation is completed and all circuits have been successfully commissioned.
The project included the installation of underground cabling, overhead line connections and GE switchgear, the circuit board used to control, protect, and isolate electrical equipment.
Four existing super grid transformers were moved from the old substation to the new one, and a new transformer was delivered in July 2022. GE Vernova Grid Solutions’ SF6- free, g3 gas-insulated busbar equipment is used by engineers.
A total of 5.6 tons of SF₆ gas has been saved, forming part of National Grid’s ambition to reduce its SF₆ emissions by 50% by 2030 and removing all SF₆ gas from electrical assets by 2050.
Net zero construction methods have been deployed throughout the project by the teams to reduce the environmental impact of the works. This includes steel manufactured in Britain, solar powered electrics, electric vehicle charging points, biodiversity net gain plan for the local area and an onsite biodigester to manage wastewater, all saving 5229 tons of CO₂ emissions during construction.
