HomeElectrificationLowery - Delivering E&P upgrades

Lowery – Delivering E&P upgrades

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In mid-2021 Lowery secured two significant packages of electrification and plant (E&P) upgrade work from Network Rail. The project is part of the Wessex CP6 framework packages 5 and 6. Package 5 consists of three new high voltage (HV) switchgear renewals including the provision of new AC modules with other ancillary equipment. Package 6 consists of four HV feeder renewals including new pilot cabling and interface with the existing AC and DC protection systems. Both of the projects are design, procurement, and build contracts.

The HV substations to be undertaken are Hinton Admiral, Eastleigh, and Woodfidley, all fully controllable from Eastleigh Electrical Control Room. The old life-expired, oil-filled HV feeders which will be replaced are feeders F2068, F2070, F2071, and F2011, all between the Kingsworthy and Eastleigh Substations.
As a principal designer and contractor for both packages, Lowery will ensure the changeover commissionings are carried out in such a way to reduce any abortive and temporary works as much as possible between both packages of work, to ensure the safety and reliability of the operational railway.

Forty-five kilometres of cable will be installed as part of the Package 6 HV feeder renewal, along with cable management systems of 7km, consisting of various Under Track Crossings with 1km of buried route through Winchester and Eastleigh station car parks, and other locations including routing through Shawford station platform, along with cable troughing and post-route cable containment. The package also contains 1600 metres of new walkway to be installed and integrated into the new cable route proposal.

The majority of the new route and walkway is to be installed on steep embankments, which is why the proposed designs and project execution are key to the successful delivery and achievement of key project milestones.

Lowery’s engineering team gained experience of housing free-issued HV and ancillary equipment as a part of the London South HV Power upgrade project, and Lowery leveraged this experience in the Package 5 procurement process for the new HV modules. Its innovative manufacturing and procurement process has saved considerable time and, most notably, cost.

The company’s in-house design team is responsible for the production of the detailed design to ensure full integration of the new and existing equipment. Complete testing of the HV modules and all pre-commissioning activities are carried out with the in-house testing and commissioning team.

Undertaking tests in the factory environment reduces the requirement of repeating these tests on-site, which significantly reduces testing and commissioning time. This innovative solution provides the client with cost savings on the main items of equipment and ensures that any problems and issues can be captured in the early days and rectified in the factory prior to site delivery.

Earlier this year, the project received two of the HV modules ahead of the programme and is awaiting completion of the civil works following successful land access arrangements. All of the HV modules will be fully tested at the integrator’s premises prior to delivery to the site.

As noted, Lowery’s in-house design and engineering team is undertaking all of the electrical designs, ensuring a complete approach to prevention through the engineering and design process (formerly Safe by Design) including full self-assurance of the produced designs by the CEMs and CREs employed by the firm. As a principal designer, it is leading from the early stages of outline designs right up to the detailed design and issue for construction in line with the GRIP process, which was used before the PACE process was introduced by Network Rail. It is utilising its trusted civil design house to undertake the civil design element for this project.

Lowery’s innovative approach to design solutions at the Hinton Admiral location, as part of the Package 5 works, has seen the scope of work increase from a new HV Switchboard renewal to a full substation upgrade including the installation of the new Rectifier Transformers with Rectifier modules and Powerbond DC module, which was added by Network Rail to the current trial for the implementation of the safer isolation process with an integrated DC switchboard and NSCD equipment.

Following the successful delivery of key projects such as the Reading 10 Car project, Euston Station High Speed 2 enabling works HV substation (Barnby Street Substation), and the London South Power Upgrade Project (Rotherhithe Switching Station) all safely and successfully delivered on time the company continues to enhance its reputation as the go-to supplier for all HV traction and non-traction project delivery.

Gary Trearty, Lowery Engineering Manager, says: “This is another exciting project for Lowery to be delivering on behalf of Network Rail and shows the confidence that companies have in Lowery’s ability to continually deliver complex design and build projects on the Railway infrastructure, safely, on time and under budget.”

As always Lowery looks forward to working with new and of course our existing clients to successfully deliver all types of complex projects, safely and collaboratively.

Image credit: Lowery

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