SOMERSET, UK — The new pylons are the first of their kind to be built according to an entirely new design in Great Britain in nearly 100 years. 

The pylon is only the first of 116 T-pylons, that are scheduled to be built along a 57km route between Bridgwater and Portbury as a part of National Grid’s Hinkley Connection project. The cost of the entire project is calculated at £900 million ($1,243 million) and is designed to connect the Hinkley Point C Nuclear power station with six million UK homes and businesses, supplying them with low carbon energy.

Unlike their predecessors, the T-pylons are designed to have a single pole and T-shaped cross arms, which hold the wires in a diamond ‘earring’ shape. They are 35 metres high, a third shorter than the traditional lattice pylons, and have a smaller footprint, which means they should occupy less land. As part of the project 249 old electricity pylons between Bridgwater and Avonmouth will be removed, with a part of the cable installation to be moved underground.  

The new pylon design was selected from over 250 designs submitted to an international competition run in 2011, organised by the Royal Institute of British Architects and government (the then Department of Energy and Climate Change). 

“We are always looking for innovative new ways to mitigate the impact of our infrastructure on the natural environment and projects such as T-pylons are a great example,” said Chris Bennett, Acting President, National Grid Electricity Transmission

“This new design forms part of our significant investment in the network in England and Wales, adding capacity onto the grid to deliver increasing amounts of low carbon energy and support the UK’s drive towards its net zero target," Bennet went on.

“We look forward to working with National Grid to successfully and safely deliver low-carbon electricity to millions of people, supporting the UK’s net zero ambitions,” said Matt Steele, Balfour Beatty’s Managing Director for its Rail and Utilities business.

The construction of the remaining 68 pylons, north of Sandford is scheduled to begin in 2022 and the new line be ready to connect to Hinkley Point C by the end of 2024, while the successful completion of the entire project is scheduled for the end of 2025.

Source: National Grid UK