The scheme is progressing to upgrade the electricity network in and around Portsmouth
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00:00I'm Glenn Beard, the project site manager for the Fort Woodley 132KV project.
00:08So the project is to replace two fluid-filled 132KV circuits which are coming to the end
00:13of their lifespan.
00:14We're putting two new XLPE circuits in, basically boosting the whole of Portsmouth's electricity
00:18supply and making it more resilient for future works.
00:22We've had to basically take a directional drill from the top site here, through the
00:27Chalk, Portsdown Hill, and then get that out at the bottom here, so that's gone underneath
00:32the carriageway, that's gone underneath a huge embankment which is a SSSI, quite a few
00:39surprises in regards to nature at this location.
00:43We opted for HDD drill to come down the hill.
00:47So this needed a lot of coordination planning, it needed a lot of temporary work set up at
00:53the base of the hill, where the receive pit was for the drilling platform.
00:57Now the area where we've actually conducted the HDD is actually in a protected area, and
01:01it's actually under what they know as a SSSI licence.
01:04The licences were agreed and we've had to adhere by licence conditions throughout construction.
01:09So this involves predominantly leaving any area we visit in exactly the same position
01:16when we leave.
01:17We have multiple different species of snakes, species of butterflies, wildflowers, any kind
01:22of contamination that we bring in could affect the ecological balance of it, so it's one
01:26of our main considerations on this scheme.
01:29It's one of our most important projects.
01:31It will enable people in the Portsmouth area to have a good supply of electricity for many
01:34years to come.
01:35So in terms of my wider portfolio, this will ultimately enable me to do other projects
01:41as the years progress.
01:42SSSI is very passionate about making sure that we support our communities, we'll work
01:48with customers and other stakeholders in the area to maintain good relationships.
01:53Ultimately SSSI is here for the long term, and it's really important then that we work
01:57with groups to ensure those projects progress smoothly.