£17million scheme's equipment in global journey

Electrical equipment weighing in at 164 tonnes is scheduled to complete a 13,000 mile journey to Castle Bromwich in Birmingham on Tuesday.


The fault current limiter in transit

It was built and commissioned in Melbourne, Australia, and forms part of a £17million initiative being carried out by electricity distributor Western Power Distribution (WPD).

Arriving at Ellesmere Port, Liverpool on December 6, the final leg of its journey will be by road. Travelling outside of peak times over a two-day period, the heavy load is set to move along the A41, M54, and A5 before reaching its final destination in Castle Bromwich and being installed in a substation.

Once installed, the equipment, known as a fault current limiter, will help to revolutionise the electricity network in Birmingham. Its technology will assist in creating ground-breaking new solutions to accommodate more low carbon generation, reducing power cuts and helping the city to reduce its carbon emissions.

It will also enable eight megawatts of generation to be connected to the existing electricity network, and will further reinforce the supply of electricity to around 18,000 customers in the Birmingham area.

Click here for more information, including updates on the equipment’s progress along its planned route as well as its installation.