National Grid's Project to Modify Electricity Network on Horsey Levels North of Bridgwater Near Completion

The Hinkley Connection team on Horsey Levels north of Bridgwater is working on complex engineering works to modify the electricity network and connect in the southern-most T-pylons on the route.

Construction activity, which began in 2019 has included:

• The removal of two existing pylons.
• The construction of two cable sealing end compounds, where overhead electricity lines connect with underground electricity cables through rectangular gantry structures.
• The undergrounding and energization of a 400 m section of the electricity transmission line running from Shurton substation to Bridgwater substation between those two cable sealing end compounds.
• Construction of two new transmission pylons to connect into the new line of 400 kV T-pylons between Horsey and the Huntspill River one of which is a rare, nine-armed pylon.
• Construction of two temporary pylons to divert the electrical conductors (or wires) whilst the works were taking place.
• Moving the temporarily diverted conductors into their permanent locations on the new pylons.
• Removal of the temporary pylons.

The work was required to connect the southernmost T-pylons on the Hinkley Connection, which run from Horsey to the Huntspill River, onto the electricity network.

To achieve the connection, the two circuits on the T-pylons were required to turn in and one had to cross over the existing Shurton to Bridgwater electricity line. A section of the route was undergrounded for safety reasons.

Once energized, the section of T-pylons will complete a new circuit running between Hinkley and Melksham and provide greater resilience across the network.

The temporary pylons were removed on 29 November and 1 December, construction works are almost complete, with the final stages expected to be achieved by spring 2025 and the T-pylons will be energized in the summer 2025.