London Power Tunnels: The Big Break‑through!
Guess what? The £1 billion London Power Tunnels (LPT) project just hit a major milestone. The last tunnel boring machine (TBM), affectionately called Grace, finally pushed through at the Eltham substation, closing the curtain on almost 12 km of underground adventure.
End‑to‑End Journey
- All 32.5 km of tunnels are now finished.
- We’ve already started laying 200 km of high‑voltage cable—think of a fiber‑optic arm stretching from London all the way to Cardiff.
- Over 900,000 tonnes of earth have been hauled away—about half the volume of Wembley Stadium.
- Shockingly, 99.98 % of that material found a new home outside of landfills.
Why It Matters
With the new network coming online by 2026, London’s power grid gets a serious upgrade, ensuring homes and businesses stay lit as the city’s demand keeps climbing. This project also fuels Britain’s net‑zero ambitions—because, hey, a bit of clean energy never hurt anyone.
Project Highlights
The tunnelling kicked off in March 2020 under the talent squad of HOCHTIEF‑Murphy Joint Venture. Sixteen months after the COVID lockdowns, they hit the ground (or floor) running eight shafts and pushing five long‑drives with four TBMs named Christine, Caroline, Edith, and Grace.
- Breakthroughs dynamite their way to the headlines: Eltham in June 2022, Wimbledon July 2022, Crayford January 2023, and Kings Avenue April 2023.
- The shafts—9 – 15 m wide and up to 55 m deep—are like underground elevators, giving crews a safe pass for maintenance and future upgrades.
Record‑Breaking Concrete
The Hurst substation recently set a world record by pouring cement‑free concrete to fill a 55‑metre deep shaft. Phew, that’s one green plumbing job!
SF6 Free Future
New Bengeworth Road substation in Lambeth is the first of its kind in Britain—a real SF6‑free marvel, pushing National Grid’s 2050 green goal.
Voices From The Frontlines
- Alice Delahunty (National Grid President): “We’re proud that the final tunnel breakthrough at Eltham links all our South London sites physically, letting us roll on with the electrifying cabling phase.”
- Santiago Daniele (HMJV Project Director): “From post‑lockdown start to 4 TBMs, this journey’s been a testament to collaboration, ingenuity, and, honestly, a lot of coffee.”
- Andrew Bowie (Minister): “It’s a British engineering triumph that’ll keep London lighting up for decades.”
Stay Connected
Keep an eye on updates—this project’s just getting started, but the next chapter is all about electrifying London safely and sustainably. Good vibes and bright lights ahead!
