GridLineNational Grid Transco Newsletter for National Grid Transco electricity grantors Spring 2004 All systems go – but gently ATIONAL Grid Transco and its N contractors are pulling out all the stops to protect sensitive farmland in South Wales during a major refurbishment project. They are using vehicles that minimise disturbance to the land, including a new Transcat road-legal vehicle with rubber tracks. Work began in November to replace the earthwire and all insulators, fittings and spacers along 180 spans of the 400kV overhead line between the Swansea North and Cilfynydd substations in Pontypridd. The 60- kilometre route passes through the Vale of Glamorgan and up the Rhondda Valley. The work is being undertaken by two contractors, Eve Transmission and Balfour Beatty Power Networks and supervised by National Grid Transco project engineer Andrew From left: Paul McKenna, project delivery; Richard Biggs, wayleave officer; Steve Askew of Eve McKenzie and engineering services Transmission and Robbie Griggs, project delivery project delivery engineer Robbie year on pasture land, our priority as Griggs — and is on target for always has been to do all we can to completion this spring. protect the environment — hence the Factfile The £12 million scheme is a “first” use of specialist vehicles.” ● Recycling overhead line insulator strings has been difficult until now. The components for the company in that the old fittings Graham Ducker, National Grid include a porcelain or glass bell with a centre are being recycled. Transco’s Environmental Business pin of high tensile steel and a top cap of “We are pleased that recycling is now Partner (Network Strategy) said: pearlitic malleable cast iron. About 5,000 a priority,” said Andrew. “In the past, “Andrew and the contractors involved tonnes of insulators are expected to be the old fittings would have ended up in in this scheme are being very pro- recycled. landfill. Now they will make a useful active with regards to recycling on this contribution. We are also doing our project. Porcelain and timber are two ● At the end of last year, CF Booth Ltd, the best to recycle everything associated of the three major waste streams contracted waste carriers for both with the project — right down to bits of identified as a priority for recycling by contractors, demonstrated a facility for wood, paper and even teabags.” National Grid Transco’s Safety and crushing and shredding the insulators in a Wayleave staff, including Richard Environment Team. single pass using a 2,500hp shredder. Biggs on his first major assignment, “Hopefully this is just the start of ● Ceramic materials are now being screened are liaising with more than 140 reusing porcelain in this way and the to three output sizes for use as aggregate grantors involved. process can be expanded to include replacement and the steel and iron shreds He said: “With much of the work old insulation removed from substation are being separated out for melting. being carried out at this time of the projects.” 2 NEWS NEWS 3 James’ rare turkeys The Bonga inches its way under the bond wires are a breed apart between the two towers BACK in the early 1930s, farmer Frank The joke used to be that once you plucked Peele saved the Norfolk black turkey from one, you had to hit it with a wooden mallet extinction in this country by launching a to fit it into the oven.” breeding programme at his farm near As a result, Norfolk blacks are more Norwich. expensive than other faster growing Working closely with an expert from an varieties, but James believes they are well agricultural research station, he scoured worth it. the country to locate non-related birds so “The taste is more along the line of he could establish a healthy breeding pheasant and there is a thin layer of fat stock unaffected by interbreeding. under the breast,” he said. “When you His efforts paid off. Frank saved the rare carve it, it has a very tight grain, so you black turkey and today, more than 70 can cut it very thin, like a wafer, and it years later, his 37-year-old grandson, never crumbles. grantor James Graham, continues his “We don’t waste the feathers either — work at Rookery Farm, Thuxton. last Christmas we sold about half a tonne Frank died in 1980 and James took over of them to a dealer in Kent who uses them the farm in 1989 after leaving agricultural to make native American headdresses for college. Today, he is the only farmer in the customers in the United States!” country to breed the Norfolk black turkey James works closely with The Rare on a major scale and last Christmas Breeds Survival Trust. Last Christmas, he fattened 3,500 birds, supplying the also fattened some rare bourbon red London food emporium Fortnum & Mason, turkeys for the festive season and a number of leading London butchers and maintains a small breeding flock of rare several butchers in Norfolk itself. slate turkeys. James hopes that the “My grandfather bought Rookery Farm Norfolk black turkey will be included in in the early 1930s and as he came from a schemes to safeguard endangered long line of poultry keepers, he was rather livestock, and will become as famous and expected to raise poultry!” said James. trendy as creatures like the Gloucester old “He realised black turkeys were rapidly spot pig. becoming extinct in the UK, and the few ● Peele’s Norfolk black turkeys are left in Europe had become smaller and produced mainly for Christmas, although a smaller because of interbreeding.” few are raised for Easter. Rookery Farm is The Norfolk black became rare partly crossed by the Walpole-Norwich 400kV MAJOR partnership operation ensured due to its slow-maturation time, and a overhead line, and together with Lent Farm Athat The Bonga, the UK’s biggest preference by producers for the faster- covers about 380 acres, 200 of which are ocean-going vessel, made a safe passage Ship’s safe passage is a growing, larger-breasted bronze varieties. arable. The Grahams also have a small down the River Tyne following a £300 million refit at Wallsend, near Newcastle. “My turkeys take twice as long to mature herd of beef shorthorn cattle. and grow to table weight as the usual For more information, contact James at A team from National Grid Transco’s commercially-reared turkeys,” said James. Peele’s Norfolk Black Turkeys, Rookery Network Strategy and Engineering Services towering achievement “They have to be hand-plucked and they Farm, Thuxton, Norwich, Norfolk NR9 worked closely with Shell, its contractors have a higher and more pointed breast. 4QJ. Tel: 01362 850237. AMEC, the Port of Tyne harbourmaster and many other authorities and with the port authority it could be removed thousands of local people who gathered to organisations during the complex exercise for access given reasonable notice. watch The Bonga set sail with an extra that involved reconfiguring the grid to allow However,The Bonga is the only vessel to 22,000 tonnes of new equipment. overhead high-voltage power lines to be have made it necessary.” “It was a fantastic sight,” said Paul. “It’s moved out of The Bonga’s way. The Port of Tyne approached National hard to imagine the sheer size of the The huge floating oil production and Grid three years ago about the problems vessel unless you see it edging its way storage vessel arrived on the Tyne from that would be faced when the 300-metre along the river, dwarfing the tiny South Korea in November 2002. Then it fitted long vessel arrived. Dave’s team, headed tugboats. The enormous flare stack easily under the six pairs of conductors and by project engineer Paul Bell, got to work cleared the conductors with several an earthwire that span the Tyne 500 yards to plan a solution. metres to spare and there was a from the AMEC site at Wallsend. However, Much preparatory work was needed to ripple of applause and a cheer from leaving for its base offshore of Nigeria was a protect local supplies so the bulk of power the people standing by.” different matter as a newly-built flare stack could be re-routed ensuring no loss of With The Bonga safely on its was taller than the power lines. supply to customers. journey to Africa, a month-long Two of the men who helped overcome The operation to remove the wires began operation got under way to replace the problem were senior project manager last September — special winches and the wires and restore the circuits to Dave Mercer and wayleaves officer Wilson pulley blocks on each side of the river their normal configuration. Holmes. “The Tyne crossing is one of a removed the conductors one by one. The number of power routes carrying electricity bond wires were then hauled up to the top of NGT project engineer Paul Bell, generated in Scotland and the North East the towers, well out of the way of the vessel, right, and Balfour Beatty project of England on to the grid,” explained Dave. ready to pull new wires back into position. manager Andrew Rigby survey the “When it was built in the 1960s, we agreed The engineering team was among cable-winching procedure James Graham with his flock of Norfolk black turkeys 4 NEWS NEWS 5 There’s light at the end of the tunnels… London project takes major step ATIONAL Grid Transco’s new cable Park, Canons Corner, Colindale, Steady as she goes… the transformer reaches Ntunnel from Hertfordshire to North Cricklewood, Kilburn and St John’s Wood St John’s Wood substation London has reached a major milestone.