Powerline river crossings in the United Kingdom

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In the United Kingdom, powerlines cross rivers and estuaries either in the form of overhead lines or with cables carried in tunnels. Overhead power lines are supported on towers (called pylons in the UK) which are usually significantly taller than overland pylons and are more widely spaced to cross the river in a single span. Tall pylons ensure that the electricity cables which they support provide an adequate safety clearance for river traffic.

Contents

Overhead crossings

The tallest and longest overhead power line river crossings in the United Kingdom are:


The tallest electricity pylons in the UK are those of the 400 kV Thames Crossing, at West Thurrock, which are 190 m (630 ft) high. These were constructed by BICC in 1965. The cables stretch 1300 m (4,500 ft) across the River Thames and have a minimum clearance of 76 m (250 ft). There are two 400 kV circuits that connect Littlebrook substation on the south bank to West Thurrock substation on the north side. [1]

The Aust Severn Powerline Crossing cables leaving this Aust pylon run for one mile to a similar pylon at Beachley Aust pylon of the Severn power line crossing, England arp.jpg
The Aust Severn Powerline Crossing cables leaving this Aust pylon run for one mile to a similar pylon at Beachley

The longest powerline river crossing in the UK is the Aust Severn Powerline Crossing over the River Severn at Aust, stretching 1700 m (5,310 ft) between towers 148 m (488 ft) high. The line was commissioned in 1959 and comprises two 275 kV electricity circuits forming part of the line between Iron Acton and Whitson substations. [2] This pylon crossing is paralleled by the Severn-Wye Cable Tunnel beneath it, at almost the same location.

List of overhead powerlines

This is an incomplete list of overhead powerline river crossings in the UK.

Overhead powerline river crossings in the UK
RiverLocationSpan (m)Height of towers (m)Clearance (m)NotesReferences
BlythBlyth, Northumberland389 (275 kV), 352 (66 kV)1 × double 275 kV, 1 × single 275 kV, 1 × double 66 kV, 1 × single 66 kV, 1 × single ? kV [3]
Cleddau DduBurton, Pembrokeshire5831 × single 132 kV [4]
ForthAlloa, Clackmannanshire425, 4622 × single 275 kV [5]
ForthKincardine Bridge, Clackmannanshire1,130137 & 1541 × single 275 kV, see 275 kV Forth Crossing [5]
LoughorBryn, Carmarthenshire and Swansea406 (upper crossing), 377 (lower)1 × single 132 kV, 1 × single 132 kV [6]
MerseyFiddlers Ferry, Warrington2501 × single 275 kV [7]
NessInverness, Highland1 × double 275 kV, 1 × double 132 kV,

1 × double 132 kV, 1 × double 33 kV

 [8]
OrwellCliff Quay, Suffolk417 (upper), 444 (lower)452 × triple 132 kV (unusual triple circuit on each crossing) [9] [10] [11]
OuseBlacktoft, East Riding of Yorkshire5282 × double 400 kV [12]
RibblePreston, Lancashire2221 × double 400 kV, 1 × single 400 kV, 2 × double 132 kV, 1 × double 33 kV [13] [14]
SevernArlingham, Gloucestershire639 + 6392 × single 132 kV (crosses river twice) [15]
SevernAust, Gloucestershire1,7001481 × double 275 kV, commissioned in 1959, see Aust Severn Powerline Crossing
SoarCity of Leicester2653 × double 132 kV [16]
Tamar & TavyWeir Quay & Carr Green, Devon and Cornwall553 (400 kV), 635 (132 kV)1 × single 400 kV, 1 × double 132 kV [17]
Tay & EarnEaster Rhynd, Perth and Kinross425, 3801 × single 275 kV, 1 × single 132 kV [18]
TeesTeesport, Stockton on Tees5421 × single 400 kV [19]
ThamesThurrock, Essex and Littlebrook, Kent1,300190762 × double 400 kV. Constructed by BICC in 1965. See 400 kV Thames Crossing [1]
ThamesCrossness, Bexley & Dagenham, Barking and Dagenham933148.4Former 132 kV. Installed 1927-32, dismantled 1987. [20]
TrentWalcot, North Lincolnshire944 (upstream) 1022 (downstream)2 × double 400 kV [12]
TyneJarrow, Tyne and Wear8001281 × single 275 kV [21] [22] [23]
TyneStella, Tyne and Wear524 (longest crossing)1 × double 400 kV, 2 × double 275 kV, 2 × double 132 kV [24]
TywiPenken, Carmarthenshire359 (400 kV), 206 (132 kV)2 × double 400 kV, 1 × single 132 kV [25]
YareTrowse, Norwich, Norfolk72.5132 kV. Dismantled 2017 [26] [27]

Cable tunnel river crossings

In addition to overhead powerline river crossings, there are also underground powerline river crossings.

River Thames

Tunnels under the River Thames, from east to west are:

Cable tunnels under other rivers

Other underground tunnel cable crossings are:

Incidents

The 430-ft high 275kV Tyne Crossing collapsed on 16 February 1962, on the same day there was the British highest wind speed of 177mph on Lowther Hill in south-west Scotland. [38] [39] [40] The pylon at Jarrow crashed at 4am, and the pylon at East Howdon crashed at 5.20am. The Jarrow pylon crashed onto oil pipes of the neighbouring Shell oil terminal. The North Eastern Electricity Board had planned a transmission line from Blyth to Teesside in 1958; Jarrow Borough Council wanted the cables to go underground. [41]

It was part of the 50-mile Blyth to Lackenby 275kV line. [42] The transmission line was built around December 1961. [43] The crossing was rebuilt from 4 November 1962. [44]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pylons of Messina</span> Historic high-voltage towers in Italy

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dead-end tower</span> Structure used in construction of overhead power lines

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berlin 380-kV electric line</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traction power network</span> Electricity grid for the supply of electrified rail networks

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">400 kV Thames Crossing</span> Overhead power line crossing of the River Thames

The 400 kV Thames Crossing is an overhead power line crossing of the River Thames, between Botany Marshes in Swanscombe, Kent, and West Thurrock, Essex, England. Its towers are the tallest electricity pylons in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aust Severn Powerline Crossing</span> Power line span over the River Severn in Great Britain

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">GKK Etzenricht</span> Former electrical substation in Germany

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">275 kV Forth Crossing</span>

The 275 kV Forth Crossing is an overhead power line crossing of the River Forth in Scotland. The crossing, located next to the Clackmannanshire Bridge and the Kincardine Bridge, has the tallest electricity towers (pylons) in Scotland.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whakamaru to Brownhill Road transmission line</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fawley Tunnel</span> Power cable tunnel in Hampshire, England

Fawley Tunnel, or Fawley transmission tunnel, is a 3-metre (9.8 ft) diameter, 2-mile (3.2 km) long tunnel under Southampton Water between Fawley Power Station and Chilling near Warsash. It carries the cables of two 400kV circuits of the National Grid.

The Thames Cable Tunnel, also known as the Tilbury – Gravesend Cable Tunnel, is a tunnel carrying high-voltage electrical transmission lines beneath the lower River Thames between Tilbury and Gravesend. It remains the furthest tunnel downstream on the Thames.

The Lower Lea Valley Cable Tunnels, known as the PLUG Project during construction, are a pair of 6 km cable tunnels running beneath the lower Lea Valley in east London. Constructed at a cost of £130m ahead of the 2012 London Olympic Games, they are owned by National Grid plc and UK Power Networks.

The River Medway Cable Tunnels are a pair of tunnels carrying high-voltage electricity transmission lines beneath the lower River Medway between the Isle of Grain and Chetney Marshes, Kent.

The Severn-Wye Cable Tunnel, also known as the Severn Cable Tunnel, carries high-voltage electricity transmission lines beneath the estuaries of the River Severn and River Wye between Newhouse (Mathern), Monmouthshire and Aust, South Gloucestershire.

References

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  11. ↑ "Ipswich Docks and National Grid electricity pylons & cables spanning the River Orwell". alamy. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  12. 1 2 "Open Infrastructure Map".
  13. ↑ "Open Infrastructure Map". Open Infrastructure Map. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  14. ↑ "Navigations in the north west". Canal Enthusiast. 2010. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  15. ↑ "Open Infrastructure Map" . Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  16. ↑ "Open Infrastructure Map".
  17. ↑ "Open Infrastructure Map" . Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  18. ↑ "Open Infrastructure Map".
  19. ↑ "Open Infrastructure Map" . Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  20. ↑ "Power over the Thames". Wonders of World Engineering. 11 January 1938. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  21. ↑ "Harbours".
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  23. ↑ Span measured on map
  24. ↑ "Open infrastructure Map".
  25. ↑ "Open Infrastructure Map" . Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  26. ↑ "Planning Application - Utilities site Norwich". norwich.gov.uk. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  27. ↑ "Fifteen pylons and 4.5km of overhead lines to be removed from Norwich skyline". Eastern Daily Press. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  28. ↑ "Open Infrastructure Map". Open Infrastructure Map. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  29. ↑ "Open Infrastructure Map". Open Infrastructure Map. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
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  38. ↑ Newcastle Evening Chronicle Friday 16 February 1962, page 1
  39. ↑ Newcastle Journal Saturday 17 February 1962, page 11
  40. ↑ Times Saturday February 17 1962, page 8
  41. ↑ Newcastle Evening Chronicle Thursday 5 June 1958, page 7
  42. ↑ Newcastle Evening Chronicle Thursday 23 June 1960, page 3
  43. ↑ Newcastle Evening Chronicle Tuesday 1 May 1962, page 5
  44. ↑ Newcastle Evening Chronicle Monday 5 November 1962, page 5
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