ABB delivers mains power to award winning London riverside development

A key element in a development the size of Battersea Reach is ensuring that the site is fully supplied with the huge amount of electrical power needed to meet the demands of all the customers anxious to move into their new buildings, and that it is available on schedule. That is why St George, one of London’s leading mixed use developers, appointed ABB as the main electrical contractor responsible for the 11kV distribution circuits for the first two buildings on the site, Kingfisher House and Commodore House, including the vital new connection to the local EDF Energy substation.

Once complete, Battersea Reach will feature five individually tiered waterfront buildings, comprising over 600 two- and three-bedroom apartments and penthouses as well as around 27,000m2 of commercial space with a mix of shops, offices, restaurants, cafes and bars. It will also open up over 300m of the riverbank for use by the public, connecting Wandsworth to Battersea Bridge and beyond.

From Battersea Reach to the 100MVA Lombard Road substation is a distance of around 1.2km. ABB’s first task was to create a fully ducted cable route linking the two sites. For most of the route the ducts followed York Road. Carrying out civil works on a busy roadway in South London called for very careful co-ordination with all the relevant local authorities such as Transport for London and Wandsworth Borough Council in order to minimise disruption to traffic and inconvenience to local residents. One example of how this was achieved was in timing the work to coincide with the major roundabout works already planned. A total of six parallel ducts have been installed to allow for future expansion.

ABB has constructed 1MVA 11kV/433V package substations, complete with transformer, ring main unit and 2000A ACBs in the basement car parks of both Kingfisher House and Commodore House. The most challenging aspect of this part of the project was when the transformers had to be craned through the restricted access panels in the roof.

To date, two 11kV cables have been pulled through the ducts and connected to the new circuit breakers installed by EDF at the Lombard Road substation. They comprise three-core ‘Triplex’ cable with aluminium conductors and a 240mm2 cross-section. The cables were delivered in 250m lengths and joined with five straight-through joints.

Tim Pope, ABB site manager at Battersea Reach, said: “There were a number of reasons that persuaded St George’ to ask ABB to manage the new power connection aspects of this project. Our capability to offer a keen price was of course a factor. However, St George’s also wanted a contractor that worked under a standard MF1 contract. This offers them better cashflow, with staged payments, and also introduces liquidated damages related to performance, so they have real control over the progress of the project.

“In addition, we were able to relieve them of any concerns over the cable connection by liaising directly with EDF to ensure that everything went smoothly. The success of the project has not been based so much on speed as on working to an agreed programme and making it happen. And, I am pleased to report that the first two 11kV circuits were energised as programmed in mid-September 2004.”

Previously used as a distillery, an oil depot and for warehousing, the land at Battersea Reach had lain dormant from 1992 to 2002, when the brownfield site was acquired by St George. It is now being transformed into an award winning riverside development that provides a stunning new addition to the Thames panorama.

Battersea Reach (http://www.batterseareach.co.uk) is 12.8 acres (5.2 hectares) of former industrial land, located adjacent to Wandsworth Bridge, along York Road. Planning permission for Battersea Reach was granted in 2002 for 658 homes, a range of commercial uses and 800 car parking spaces.
St George is one of London’s leading property companies and the only developer ever to have been awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Sustainable Development 2002. St George brings forward high quality developments on previously used land that has often lain derelict for many years. St George invests in high quality design and in providing a mix of uses - such as homes, shops, offices, restaurants and leisure facilities - to create sustainable communities within a vibrant and welcoming setting.