First Olympic Park construction project completed with end of powerlines tunnelling

The announcement comes as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) completes its visit to London to hear an update on preparations for 2012.

The tunnelling work has been underway since last April to create two 6km tunnels beneath the Olympic Park allowing the power needed for the Games and the community post-2012 to be carried underground. This will allow 52 pylons which currently dominate the landscape to be removed, 'unlocking' the Olympic Park site for the start of construction of the main venues and infrastructure next year. It is also a key part of the vision to regenerate east London and create an open and accessible Park in legacy.

The completion of tunnelling is the latest key milestone the ODA has hit this year and adds to the significant progress made on the project to date (see factsheet in 'Notes to Editors' for further details).

ODA Chief Executive David Higgins said: "Burying the powerlines underground is essential in unlocking the Olympic Park site for the start of construction next year and is a vital part of the long term regeneration of east London.

"The successful completion of this massive tunnelling project on time and on budget gives us real momentum as we set our sights on the challenge ahead. We have made a solid start in our delivery of the Olympic programme, hitting hit all of our milestones to date, but we recognise we are still at the foothills of the project and the mountain lies ahead of us."

Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), said: "The Olympic Games and Paralympic Games can provide the inspiration to transform communities. The completion of the tunnelling is an important first step in the transformation of the Lower Lea Valley. The undergrounding of powerlines will provide an uncluttered landscape against which the Games can be staged. I am delighted we have been able to update the International Olympic Committee's Coordination Commission on the significant progress we are making."

Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell said: "The completion - on time and on budget - of the work on the powerlines tunnelling is a tremendous achievement. It is important not just for the creation of the Olympic Park, but also as a crucial part of our ambitious regeneration plans. It demonstrates clearly the excellent progress being made to deliver a fantastic Olympics."

Mary Reilly, Chair of the London Development Agency (LDA) which managed the powerlines project before the ODA became a statutory body, said: "The London Development Agency is delighted that the powerlines tunnels are complete. Getting these cables underground will be a major step toward the transformation of the Lower Lea Valley.

"It shows that the 2012 Games are already acting as a catalyst for the wider regeneration of east London which will create new homes, new jobs and a much improved local environment."

Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone said: "This not only marks the completion of one of our first major projects on time and on budget but also the beginning of the transformation of east London. The area will benefit from new affordable homes delivered on a scale never seen before in the capital as well as thousands of new jobs that will come as we continue to regenerate the Lower Lea Valley in the coming decade."

350 workers and four 40 tonne tunnel boring machines have been working around the clock to complete the mammoth task in 424 days, one of the biggest tunnelling projects in the country.

The complex nature of the tunnelling process meant a series of obstacles and challenges were encountered during the project. These included issues with soil contamination and encountering small ground movements and water ingresses beneath the surface of the Olympic Park. But the project has been delivered on time, on budget and with an impressive health & safety record which is better than the industry average.

More than 200,000 cubic metres of spoil was created during the tunnelling process, enough to fill the new Wembley Stadium, the vast majority of which will be reused in the construction of the Olympic Park. With the tunnelling work complete, work will now start to fit-out the tunnels allowing 200km of electrical cables, enough to stretch from London to Nottingham, to be laid next year which will manage the future electrical supply requirements of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and, in legacy, east London.

By the time the Beijing 2008 Games are underway the new underground cabling will be ready so that the power can be switched to the underground supply and the pylons dismantled towards the end of 2008.

Notes to Editors:

• The underground tunnels will connect Hackney and West Ham substations, part of the super grid that supplies London from Holloway in the North, The City in the West and Docklands in the South
• Work is also nearing completion on an additional smaller tunnel, the Bow Spur, which will link the underground powerlines to the Bow substation
• The £230m powerlines project is managed by the ODA and contractor J Murphy and Sons, working with EDF Energy (London's electricity network operator) and National Grid, the companies that own and operate the overhead lines. The project is a key part of the wider work being undertaken by these companies to reinforce and upgrade the power network for east London and the London 2012 Games

Olympic Park progress factsheet:

- Clearing the site

More than a quarter of the Olympic Park has now been cleared, with demolition work on other parts of the site continuing. The first major earthworks have begun in many parts of the site with remediation (soil cleaning) work due to begin next month. Following the LDA's extensive work to relocate businesses and residents and secure the Olympic Park site, demolition work will accelerate when the ODA takes vacant possession of the site in July.

- Venue Procurement and Design

A strong start has been made on plans for the 'big 4' Olympic venues - detailed planning and design work on the Olympic Stadium is making good progress with designs set to be revealed later this year; a shortlist of world-class designers for the VeloPark has just been announced and will be assessed later this month by a top-class jury including Olympic Cycling Champion Chris Hoy; a shortlist of companies has been announced for the contract to construct Zaha Hadid's visionary designs for the Aquatics Centre; and a shortlist of companies has been announced to develop the Olympic Park media centre (IBC/MPC) for the Games and in legacy.

- Olympic Village

With the Olympic Village site already cleared, work has begun to divert the overhead powerlines through the area allowing construction work to start early next year, a year earlier than planned.

- Planning

The Olympic Park planning application, one of the biggest in European history, was submitted by the ODA on-time earlier this year setting out the vision for one of the largest urban parks to be built in Europe for 150 years.

- Transport

The draft Olympic Transport Plan was published at the end of last year, an unprecedented six years ahead of the Games. Following extensive consultation, the full Transport Plan will be published later this year. The ODA has also announced its funding of the £104 million scheme to upgrade Stratford Regional Station – a key gateway to the Olympic Park.

- Procurement

A number of key Olympic contracts are currently out to tender including utilities services across the Olympic Park; the construction of structures, roads and bridges to create an open and accessible Park; and the first design contracts for temporary venues for the 2012 Games.

- Sustainability

The ODA published its sustainability strategy earlier this year with a focus on low carbon, low waste, green transportation and high reuse of materials during construction to ensure the London 2012 Games are the 'Greenest Games in modern times'.


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Contact the Olympic Delivery Authority Press Office on 020 3 2012 700