Devon Council Leader welcomes £50 million pylon investment in Devon

With only two months to go before the completion of a £50 million project to refurbish over 300 pylons spanning 100 km between Cornwall and Devon, the leader of Devon County Council visited one of the most complex locations for equipment replacement – Trago Mills, near Exeter.

Councillor John Hart learned first-hand about the purpose of the works and technology that National Grid is deploying on the project. Innovations include Sky Safe where safety cables and machinery are suspended between pylons to avoid disruption caused by scaffolding.

National Grid Project Manager Robbie Griggs said: “We work with local authorities to make sure that where our works could impact the community, we act as a responsible business. In Devon, we’ve liaised closely with the County Council to reduce the impact of road and footpath closures on the network.

“As we carry out our investment in the region’s power lines, we always maintain our focus on public safety. For example, at Trago Mills we’ve had to work in an environment which is close to a popular shopping and local attraction. So, we’ve always been mindful about the need for lots of people to access the facility safely whilst we replace wires and equipment.”

Work began on the lines in April and continues until around late November 2017. The work will help to maintain the electricity supply in the area and keep power flowing to homes and businesses for years to come.

Devon County Council Leader Councillor John Hart said: “This is a crucial investment for the energy supply in our region which is so vital for homes and businesses and the county council has Iiaised closely with National Grid to get the job done.

“Work started on preparing for these improvements in 2016. County councillors and our local councillors in Devon have played their part in raising any potential issues with National Grid. We’ve worked together to mitigate any problems and I was pleased to see at first hand what’s been done to avoid excessive disruption in this part of the project at Trago Mills.”
Throughout the project, National Grid has maintained a seven day a week community relations line for local residents with any issues, questions or feedback. The phone number remains open for the remainder of the project - 0800 073 1047 between 7am – 7pm.

National Grid in the community

National Grid has reached out to the local community, educating the pupils at Broadclyst Community Primary School about the dangers of playing near electricity towers and providing exciting interactive demonstrations showing how electricity works. A donation of £20,000 was also made through National Grid’s Community Grant Programme, helping Weir Quay Community Watersports Hub Club to build a new boatshed.

People can get the latest project information on the National Grid website at http://www2.nationalgrid.com/uk/in-your-area/projects/landulph-to-exeter/