WPD begins £6m work on Cadbury substation in Birmingham

Western Power Distribution (WPD) has begun work on a £6 million project which serves the historic Cadbury’s factory in Bournville, Birmingham.

The scheme involves replacing four grid transformers, 132kV circuit breakers and other 132kV equipment, along with all of the 11kV switchgear which was installed in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

It is expected to be completed in 2022.

The substation at Bournville was one of the first in Birmingham when it was built in the 1920s and lies in an area steeped in local history, presenting the project with a number of challenges.

With the substation being included as one of the landmarks on a local heritage trail, WPD says it must “take extra care” throughout the project to preserve the original substation building which holds historical and sentimental value for local residents.

The project also involves dismantling and rebuilding sections of the 5m high wall to access each of the existing transformers.

Each transformer and associated switchgear will then be taken out and replaced, before the brickwork is rebuilt. WPD and its contractors will then move to the next bay and repeat the process all the way along the 50m boundary wall.

Projects engineer, Barry Organ, who is also project manager, said: “The land around the substations is now a densely-populated residential area so I suspect we will get to know the neighbours pretty well over the three years we are here.

“We will, of course, do everything we can to minimise the disruption for residents, particularly when it comes to traffic and parking.

“We will be working closely with Cadbury throughout the project to make sure it is business as usual.

“This project will upgrade and help future proof the network for both Cadbury and local residents.

“We want to create a substation which is fit for the users of the 21st century while respecting and preserving the history and appearance of one of the city’s oldest substations.”