As you’ll be aware from previous years, our construction activity in the nature reserve is carried out between April and September. With our contractors, Balfour Beatty, being back in the reserve I wanted to take the opportunity to refresh minds on the work carried out previously and to explain our planned work for this year.

Our work to date has involved removing WPD pylons and replacing them with new underground cables to connect into WPD’s substation situated in the north corner of the reserve. To the east of this substation, our team has built cable ducts in preparation for pulling additional cables, allowing us to remove a further four pylons.  The team has also prepared the work areas for the construction of two new T-pylons in the reserve itself, which shall form part of the new overhead connection between Bridgwater and Avonmouth.

This year, we’ll be carrying out

• ecological surveys
• clearing vegetation
• finalising the underground cabling work
• removing four WPD pylons to the east of the substation
• piling and constructing foundations for two new T-pylons.

Our first construction activity is to widen sections of the existing construction road to enable us to bring in the drums of underground cable, and to start piling for building the foundations of the new T-pylons.

We recognise that our construction activity causes local disturbance. We work with our contractor to limit this as much as possible, and use the quietest rigs on the market – designed to minimise noise and vibrations.

The continuous flight auger (CFA) piling rig being used in the nature reserve is much quieter than the same sized driven rig and uses a corkscrew-shaped fitting to lift out the soil while injecting concrete from the bottom.

The piling in the reserve is expected to start tomorrow.  Each piling site takes about one week to complete and will only take place between 8am and 5pm, never at weekends. We expect to complete building the foundations for the two new T-pylons here by early July, though this work will not be continuous.

Over the coming months, we’ll erect and use scaffolding to create the sterile environment needed to connect the new underground cables to WPD’s existing electricity network. Towards the latter part of our programme for this year, we’ll remove four WPD pylons to the east of the Portishead substation and start erecting the T-pylons.

We’ll return to the nature reserve in April 2023, to finish erecting and hanging the wires on the new T-pylons, and to remove additional WPD pylons south and northeast of the substation. Reinstatement of the land will be completed in 2024.

We are working with North Somerset Council to ensure our agreed works are scheduled to avoid disturbing local wildlife while ensuring the essential works are completed on time and with minimal disruption to visitors and wildlife.