UK Power Networks and Cory Group have completed work to connect Riverside 2, a new energy from waste (EfW) facility in Belvedere, London, to the electricity grid.
The connection uses a newly commissioned 132,000-volt circuit and a 10.6km route of cross-linked polyethylene cable, linking the Riverside 2 site to Littlebrook Substation. UK Power Networks said the project included upgrades within the substation boundary, while Cory’s construction partner JSM delivered the onsite substation and the high-voltage route to Littlebrook.
Riverside 2 is expected to process up to 650,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste and generate electricity that could supply the equivalent of around 176,000 homes. Cory says the facility is intended to reduce the amount of residual waste sent to landfill or exported for treatment.
The new plant sits alongside Riverside 1, which Cory says currently diverts around 800,000 tonnes of waste from landfill each year. Like their names suggest, both sit alongside the River Thames.
Alongside the cable route, UK Power Networks said the works at Littlebrook included refurbishing a 132,000-volt circuit breaker, installing metering transformers, upgrading protection systems, and laying high-voltage cables within the substation boundary, to enable a safe and reliable connection.
Jason Taylor, Programme Manager at UK Power Networks, noted, “The Riverside 2 project overcame complex engineering challenges along the way. The route tackled three different river crossings with tailored solutions: directional drilling at Norman Road, fixing of the cable trough carrying the cables to the underside of the existing bridge at the River Cray, and the construction of a dedicated cable bridge over the River Darent. These approaches minimised disruption to the environment and local infrastructure, while ensuring the robust installation of new equipment.”
Peter Kent, Managing Director of Riverside 2 at Cory Group, added, “We are proud to deliver an essential public service and want to ensure there is no waste from waste – this includes recovering the energy contained in the waste we process and returning it back to local communities as baseload, partially renewable electricity. Riverside 2 will provide vital waste processing capacity for London and the South East, as well as generating electricity for the grid, and working together with our partners including UK Power Networks and JSM is a key part of delivering value for our communities.”
Stephen Bradley, New Business Director at JSM, concluded,“JSM are delighted to have been given the opportunity to design and deliver the 132,000-volt substation and 10.6 kilometre 132,000-volt cable route for this nationally significant project, all to UK Power Networks specifications. The cable route was planned with a high degree of cooperation with the London Borough of Bexley and Kent County Council to ensure the minimum amount of disruption to one of the main strategic arteries from Kent into South East London. This included designing multiple special engineering difficulties such as rail and river crossings.”
