J. Murphy & Sons Limited has been awarded a contract by National Grid worth nearly £24 million to design and build a new electricity substation in Barking, East London.
The project to build a new 132,000 volt substation next to an existing National Grid site includes designing and building the new gas insulated switchgear substation, as well as installing new cables to connect to the national power network. The substation will be operated by National Grid to secure power supplies for local homes and businesses. Work is expected to be completed by February 2023.
Murphy CEO John Murphy said “We’re delighted to have been awarded this contract and play our part in securing energy supplies in London for years to come. Since adding to our power engineering capability last year, we have grown our expertise and can now offer clients like National Grid even more value through our unique Murphy approach. Using our own people, plant and better engineered solutions, we’re pleased that we can play a vital role in helping local economies by delivering world class infrastructure.”
The complex project involves the design and construction of a new 20 bay Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) substation in Barking, East London to replace, reinforce and add resilience to the local network. The project will require a number of stages including the temporary diversions and protections to the existing cable assets to accommodate the construction works; construction of the substation building; installation and commissioning; transfer of circuits onto the new switchgear; and the laying of new cable connections to traction transformers on an alternative site.
Once complete, the substation will form a key part of the local electricity infrastructure which will be integral to the regeneration to the Barking and Thames river areas in future.