The UK National Grid has awarded a $60 million turnkey contract to ABB for the manufacture, install and commissioning of a 20 km 400 kV 3 phase underground power cable to link Elstree substation in north London with new indoor high voltage substation in St John’s Wood, close to central London. The cable will be one of the longest 400 kV underground cables in Europe (the other, pictured above, is an ABB installation in service in Berlin since 1998) and will form part of national Grid’s plan to strengthen the supply network for NW London and the City. The cable uses ABB’s cross linked polyethylene insulation technology, a low maintenance technology compared to oil and gas filled cables.
