Winder Power was therefore delighted to be commissioned to design, build and install two bespoke transformers to supply power to two tunnel boring machines at New Cross, as part of a London Power Tunnels (LPT) project, with a project value of £400k.
The two transformers that were installed comprised a 5000kVA, 13000/11000V Transformer along with a 13000V Earthing Transformer.
The second phase of an ambitious project to ‘rewire London’, the LPT2 scheme is a £750 million investment to future proof the capital’s electricity supplies.
In summer 2019, National Grid began work on the construction phase of the LPT2 project, building 30km of cable tunnels stretching from Wimbledon in south west London to Crayford in south east London. The tunnels, which will be up to four metres in diameter, will largely be buried deep beneath the streets, in order to minimize disruption to the millions of Londoners going about their daily lives on the surface.
Winder Power’s part in this extensive project involved the design, build, testing and installation of the 13000/11000V (17500V maximum) 5MVA power transformer and the 13000V earthing transformer, designed to limit the fault current in the neutral to 830A for 3 seconds.
Once the transformers had been designed and built at Winder Power’s Pudsey factory and headquarters, they were then subjected to a very stringent type testing approval process.
The installation project took place over two weeks, and with challenges including restricted access, a complex set of road closures, as well as complying with the rigorous on-site health and safety procedures, the installation team supervised a challenging and ultimately successful programme.
Commenting on the installation project, Senior Site Manager Carl Truscott from Murphy Power Networks, said; “I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the installation team on their safe, professional & finely tuned work ethic. My thanks go to the entire team who worked on the project.”
Tony Zakaria, Project Engineer for National Grid added; “The guys on site were exceptional and worked really hard to get both transformers in. Both Peter Wood and Mick Clifford were open and easy to work with – we sat down with the National Grid commissioning engineer and they fully understood, and appreciated, our processes. Well done to the team!
Summing up the project, Winder Power managing director Paul Matthews concluded; “As a business we were delighted to be given the opportunity to support National Grid with their LPT2 project, and the entire team worked tirelessly to ensure that at every stage of the process we adhered to our principles of manufacturing excellence, with safety at the forefront of everything we do.
There are very few companies who have the in-house capability to design, build, test and install such a complex transformer requirement, which is a credit to everyone involved.”
