HV and LV cable installation, 240V to 132kV

What we install

Ground Utilities installs electrical ducts and cable from 240V to 132kV, with fibre ducts and cable alongside where a scheme needs them. We work for ICPs, EPCs, utility contractors and principal contractors, from our base in Cottenham, Cambridgeshire, across England and Wales.

What a cable route involves

• Site investigations before excavation
• Trenching in highway, footpath, verge and farmland
• Duct installation, with double-stacked ducts where the trench has to stay narrow
• Joint bay construction, and reinstatement of each bay after jointing
• Cable installation
• Reinstatement of the highway, footpath, verge or field

We do the work in-house with our own equipment. Every job has a dedicated contract manager as one point of contact. We can take on a full turnkey contract or supply our skilled labour.

Our NERS approval

We hold full NERS approval for cable laying at LV, 11kV, 20kV, 33kV, 66kV and 132kV, and for civil works, with all six distribution network operators, including UK Power Networks. You can check it on the LRQA NERS register.

What we do, and what others do

We build the route and install the cable. We do not joint or terminate cables, and we do not make the final live connection to the network. The network operator or the client's connection provider does that.

Cable routes we have built

• HV cable installations: Two 33kV circuits and fibre over about 25 km between a DNO substation and a new client substation, fully ducted, with 45 joint bays. May 2018 to September 2019.
• Indian Queens private wire: 33kV cable route: A 7.8km 33kV private wire from the Tregonning Solar Farm to National Grid's Indian Queens substation, with about 46km of cable and 19 joint bays. In progress.
• 5 x 33kV with fibre optic: Five 33kV circuits with fibre for a new data centre and a generation site: about 53,000 metres of cable in a fully ducted route along main roads. August 2018 to April 2020.
• Thetford cable route & civil build: A 6 km route with dual 33kV circuits and fibre from UK Power Networks' Barnham substation, followed by the civils for a new primary substation. 2023.
• Refurbishment of overhead line circuits: Two 33kV and two 11kV underground ducted circuits on an overhead line refurbishment: about 31,800 metres of cable and 13 joint bays. August 2020 to May 2021.
• 33kV cable route, Dunmow: A 33kV cable route and its ducting at Dunmow. 2023.
• 11kV cable installation at Whittle Laboratory: An 11kV cable route and its ducting at the Whittle Laboratory in Cambridge. 2023.

Working in the road

Our supervisors and operatives hold NRSWA street works cards. We coordinate with local highway authorities to secure the permits a route needs, and where a client needs it we have applied for and managed the Section 50 licence ourselves. On the North London route we worked 24 hours a day to reduce disruption to the programme, and Haringey and Enfield councils both commended how the work was carried out.

Safety

All our operatives are CSCS/EUSR registered as a minimum and all our supervisors are SMSTS qualified. Ground Utilities Ltd has never had an enforcement of any kind from the HSE. See our accreditations.

Frequently asked questions

What voltages does Ground Utilities work on?

We install electrical ducts and cable from 240V to 132kV. Our NERS approval for cable laying covers LV, 11kV, 20kV, 33kV, 66kV and 132kV.

Do you joint and terminate the cables?

No. We build the route and install the cable. Jointing and terminating are done by others, and we reinstate each joint bay after jointing.

Do you make the final connection to the network?

No. The network operator or the client's connection provider makes the final live connection.

Who do you work for?

ICPs, EPCs, utility contractors and principal contractors.

Can you supply labour only?

Yes. We can take on a full turnkey contract or supply our skilled labour.

Where do you work?

Across England and Wales, from our base in Cottenham, Cambridgeshire. Recent cable routes have been in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Essex, London and Cornwall.