Powerlines project accelerates as cabling work powers ahead

Two six kilometre tunnels have been dug beneath the Olympic Park enabling the power needed for the Games and the community post-2012 to be carried underground and the overhead powerlines which run across 52 pylons in the Park to be removed. The tunnels were finished in June on time and on budget, marking the first Olympic Park construction project to be completed.

More than 200km of electrical cables will be installed in the tunnels – enough to stretch from London to Nottingham – and 70km of cabling has now been completed. The cabling is being installed in the tunnels in 1km lengths, along with monitoring and ventilation equipment. More than 9,000 brackets have also been installed to carry the cables along the tunnel walls.

The acceleration of underground cabling work keeps the ODA firmly on track to achieve one of its ten ‘Milestones to Beijing’ announced earlier this year. Of the ten milestones to be achieved by the 2008 Beijing Games, Milestone 2 stated that the powerlines tunnelling and underground cabling work will be complete, meaning the power for the Olympic Park will be set to switch underground.

ODA Chief Executive David Higgins said:

'With demolition work accelerating above ground on the Olympic Park site, work beneath the Park is also making great progress. The installation of cabling in the tunnels will take us a step closer to creating a new brand new electrical infrastructure beneath the Park for Games time and legacy. The powerlines project is crucial in freeing up the site for the start of the ‘big build’ next year and with a third of cabling work completed we are on track to hit another key milestone in the project.'

Once cabling work is completed by next summer, the underground cables will be energised allowing the power to be switched to the underground supply and the overhead pylons dismantled towards the end of 2008.

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