Piling works completed between Bridgwater and Loxton
All piling works for the 53 pylons National Grid are building between Bridgwater and Loxton, where cables under the Mendip Hills AONB begin, have been completed.
The works started in Autumn 2020 and involved putting concrete and steel piles into the ground to support the 48 T-pylons and 5 traditional lattice pylons that are to be built in this section. The completion in November marks a major milestone for the project.
With each of the 53 piles in place on this part of the route, and work having started to install the new T-pylons, contractor Balfour Beatty has moved their specialist piling rigs to the northern part of the route, between Sandford and Avonmouth. On this northern section, 95 pylons will be built – 68 T-pylons and 27 lattice pylons. Piling work began in Avonmouth on 23 November.
Piling for each new pylon is expected to take around one week and will continue into 2022. National Grid publishes a monthly schedule to show where the piling works are being carried out.
Piling works can cause disturbance for residents living close by. National Grid works with its contractors to limit this as much as possible. The piling rig has been designed to minimise noise and vibrations and the hydraulic hammer is the most silent on the market. Piling works only take place between the hours of 8am and 5pm and never at weekends.
David Woodcock, Project Engineer for National Grid, said: “We recognise that our piling activities can cause an impact locally and want to thank residents for their patience as we continue our work to deliver electricity safely and efficiently, and support the UK’s ambition to achieve net zero by 2050.”
