WysePower’s temporary services will facilitate construction of HS2 in Warwickshire
WysePower is supplying the temporary services to seven site compounds on the 80km section of HS2 running between the Chiltern Tunnel to Long Itchington Wood in Warwickshire.
About the project
Currently under construction, HS2 is the new high speed railway that will connect London to towns and cities in the Midlands and the North. Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and BAM Nuttall (EKFB) is the joint venture contractor responsible for building this section of the line. The work includes the construction of 15 viaducts, 6.9km of green tunnels, 22km of road diversions, 81 over-bridges and 30 million cubic metres of excavation.
The site compounds are strategically positioned along the route close to where the major infrastructure elements are due to be constructed, which is where the majority of workers will be required.
Each compound is bespoke to its particular location. Most include offices, worker welfare facilities, subcontractor cabins, a car park and access roads. In addition, some compounds include a concrete batching plant and concrete testing laboratories.
The WysePower Solution
The compounds’ electrical loads are up to 1600 amps. To provide temporary power to the compounds, WysePower developed a solution for each based on the loads and the site layout for approval by EKFB.
The compounds feature a mixture of high and low voltage supplies, to deliver a cost effective, efficient installation. WysePower’s mains distribution unit then subdivides this supply for low voltage distribution to various points around the site.
Providing temporary electrical services
The compounds are large and require up to 150 lighting columns to illuminate the roadways, pedestrian routes and car parks for each compound. To help minimise the lighting scheme’s impact on both the environment and to minimise its impact on local residents, WysePower proactively adapted the design of the lighting scheme to enable it to use shorter, 6m high lighting columns in place of the 8m high columns called for in the project specification.
In addition, WysePower has incorporated intelligent light fittings into the columns. These allow the lamps to be individually controlled using a Digital Addressable Lighting Interface (DALI), so that the light output from each column, or group of columns, can be increased, dimmed or switched depending on circumstances. For example, if an area of the car park is not being used, the lights can be dimmed or turned off completely to save energy and reduce light pollution.
For several compounds, WysePower is also responsible for distributing water from the compound’s mains connection to the various usage points on site. To ensure water pressure is maintained when the compound is in operation, WysePower installed a break tank and fitted a booster pump to the supply.
The work continues
Once construction is underway, WysePower will be on hand to adapt its temporary servicing solution to ensure it is always optimised to meet each compound’s specific requirements.
