wiredInUSA November 2016

Work has begun on the upgrade to 3km of power cable under Wastwater. Photograph courtesy of www.visitcumbria.com

Taking the plunge for Lakeside upgrade

Engineers from the UK’s Electricity North West have begun work to upgrade 3km of power cable under England’s deepest lake, Wastwater. The second phase of the $700,000 project will involve engineers pulling the new cable across the lake by boat, following the installation of 560m of power cable along the lakeside in the remote village of Wasdale Head in Cumbria last month. The original electricity cable was installed under Wastwater in 1977. Martin Deehan, operations director for Electricity North West, said: “The time is right to proactively replace sections of the power cable, to help ensure the local residents

and businesses receive the essential power they need for years to come.

“This is an incredibly difficult job due to the extremely remote location and sensitive area. The lake itself is a designated site of special scientific interest, as is a large area of the scree slopes alongside. “We have been working closely with the local community and they have showed us great support towards the work we are doing in the area.” The project will be completed during November, after a planned shutdown to allow engineers to connect the new cables to the network.

wiredInUSA - November 2016

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