World’s first T-pylon installed in Somerset

National Grid has successfully erected the world’s first T-pylon.

It represents the first newly-designed electricity pylon to be introduced to Great Britain for nearly a century.

The first of the pylons was put up near East Huntspill in Somerset last week as part of the £900 million Hinkley Connection project. This will eventually see 116 T-pylons along the 57km-route between Bridgwater and Portbury. The project also includes the removal of 249 traditional pylons between Bridgwater and Avonmouth.

The new design has a single pole and T-shaped cross arms which hold the wires in a diamond ‘earring’ shape. The pylons are 35 metres high, a third shorter than National Grid’s traditional lattice versions, and have a smaller footprint using less land.

The new pylon design was selected from over 250 designs entered into an international competition run in 2011, organised by the Royal Institute of British Architects and government.

Construction of the first 48 T-pylons by Balfour Beatty on behalf of National Grid began last week, with each pylon taking roughly five days to build. Construction of the remaining 68 pylons, north of Sandford will begin in 2022.

Chris Bennett, acting president of National Grid Electricity Transmission said: “We are always looking for innovative new ways to mitigate the impact of our infrastructure on the natural environment and projects such as T pylons are a great example.

“This new design forms part of our significant investment in the network in England and Wales, adding capacity onto the grid to deliver increasing amounts of low carbon energy and support the UK’s drive towards its net zero target.”

Matt Steele, Balfour Beatty’s managing director for its Rail and Utilities business, said: “Our unique capability and extensive experience in delivering major, complex overhead line schemes, makes us ideally positioned to play a key role in constructing the world’s first T-pylons.

“We look forward to working with National Grid to successfully and safely deliver low-carbon electricity to millions of people, supporting the UK’s net zero ambitions.”