Building in the capital is tricky, whether in terms of basement services in London for domestic customers or commercial construction for businesses. In either case, access to utilities is increasingly important.
Serving these needs will become easier thanks to the London Power Tunnels scheme, part of which has just been contracted out to HMJV, according to PCB Today.
While most basement services in London will encounter challenges that need to be overcome, this £1 billion project is set to be significantly larger and more complex, with myriad associated issues which need to be planned for.
The Aim
On paper, the project sounds simple enough: build a tunnel deep beneath the streets of the capital which will allow power cables to run seamlessly for over 32 kilometres. This will keep the cables out of the way, preserving the historic buildings and vistas of London while still ensuring that electricity can reach key areas.
The older cabling which it is replacing has been used for the past half-century and is thus no longer really fit for purpose. What is more, by tunnelling 30 metres underground it will mean that there is no need to create travel chaos by digging up roadways.
Even the old cabling can be left in place, further reducing disruption for those who live and work in the capital. And 30 metres is far deeper than most other structures in the city, meaning that even basement services in London will not be compromised.
The Legacy
This latest phase of the London Power Tunnels project follows on forming the first successful deployment, initiated two years ago, which ran from east to west.
National Grid is not only introducing the new tunnels to improve the infrastructure within the city itself but also as a means of ensuring that London can gain greater access to renewable sources of energy as they are tapped into outside of its urban expanse.
Spokesperson Nicola Shaw said that now the latest phase had been contracted to a firm, the start date for work in March of 2020 will be achievable and the reliability, resilience and sustainability of the electricity supply to London will be guaranteed for the foreseeable future.
At a time when there is increased focus amongst the public on the issue of climate change and global warming, being able to provide energy customers in London with a means of using greener, cleaner power which is also more stable and well protected than earlier solutions is definitely a step in the right direction.
There will also be an economic benefit to this, as firms which operate in the capital will be able to gain similar advantages from having access to energy which is shielded by many metres of solid earth and concrete. At a time when IT outages are incredibly expensive and difficult to tolerate, reliability is definitely key, and it could continue to fuel the growth of the tech sector in London, putting it on the map on the international scene.