WPD gets its rewards in Devon

A £276,000 project to upgrade a substation in Plymouth city centre has been completed.

Work started in 2014 following a combination of WPD’s commitment to asset replacement works as part of RIIO ED1, re-supplying the existing LV network and customer redevelopment work to convert the site to commercial and retail units, including over 500 students flats and a hotel. 

Plymouth Fitter Dan carrying out post-commissioning checks during the works. 

The work, although not without its challenges, will not only further secure a reliable supply, but will provide safer access for engineers. 

Work included the removal of three circuit breakers, two HV switches, an open LV fuse board, two transformers and one transformer-mounted LV cabinet from a basement substation location. 

These have been replaced by three 1,000 kVA unit transformers and associated LV cabinets, plus the installation of a ring main unit – a modern HV switch – in the adjacent substation. Some re-configuration of the HV network took place, which meant installing more cabling and some additional jointing works. 

Plymouth Planner Nick Leavey, who along with Technicians Pete Jackson and Chris Brown oversaw the project, explained: “As with most city centre developments it was an extremely awkward site with restricted access via a narrow side road. Although the building was gutted, we still had to maintain supplies to the site for the building works and the existing retail units by staged transfer of connections and back feeding the LV network. 

“Pedestrian access was via steep, narrow steps into the basement substation with the old switchgear having to be lifted out using access covers (large, removable steel plates) within the delivery bay of the adjacent store. 

“All the switchgear and transformers had to have their oil drained and broken down into individual elements to enable them to be craned out of the existing access covers. 

Plymouth Fitter Dan carrying out pre-commissioning checks on the HV switchgear.

“The majority of the jointing works were off site and we had the difficult task of not only maintaining the only access into the site, but also allowing access to the delivery bay of the stores.”