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Planned work
Scottish Power Energy Networks (SPEN) operates the electricity distribution network in our area. It is planning to install medium voltage cables (33 kV) from Newbattle Terrace through the Grange to the King’s Buildings and beyond. The route will run from the back of the substation in Newbattle Terrace, along Clinton Road, Blackford Road, Dick Place, Lauder Road, South Lauder Road, Relugas Road, crossing the railway at the Mayfield Road bridge.
The route is shown as the green line in this drawing.
The work is due to commence from around July of 2025 and continue for well over a year. This will progress west-east across the Southside Newington ward. It will inevitably create some disruption as the excavations of the roadways progress.
SPEN is currently tendering the project and following a few modifications will be hoping to complete tender of the works in around March/April 2025, when the successful contractor will be awarded, with hopefully works proceeding from July onwards for circa 15 months.
Why is this work needed?
Scottish Power Energy Networks (SPEN) operates the electricity distribution network in our area. It takes high voltage electricity (“HV”: 275 kV or 132kV) from the transmission network at Grid Supply Points (GSPs), transforms it to lower voltages (33 kV and below) and distributes it to properties throughout the area.
One such GSP is “Whitehouse”, which is the site on Newbattle Terrace. It supplies about 35,000 customers. Another GSP is “Kaimes”, which is just inside the Edinburgh City Bypass at the Straiton junction.
Each GSP feeds a number of primary substations (“Primaries”), where electricity is transformed to the low voltages used by homes and businesses. As part of its most recent regulatory price review, SPEN has a project to manage the future demand constraints at Kaimes GSP. To do this, it is offloading Kings Buildings and Lugton Primaries from Kaimes GSP and connecting those Primaries into the Whitehouse GSP instead. There will also be a new Primary installation at Shawfair, to cope with new demand on the system from planned developments there, and this will be supplied from the Whitehouse GSP. SPEN states: “Our Baseline View forecasts a peak demand by 2028, with an expected uptake of up to 15,000 electrical vehicles and 9,000 heat pumps by the end of the RIIO-ED2 [price control] period. This is a significant investment by SPEN which will benefit Edinburgh by facilitating the uptake in EVs and HPs.”
Previous HV cable works in the Grange
Residents will recall the major works around 2010 that were associated with the laying of the high voltage (275 kV) underground cables through the Grange to supply the input to the Whitehouse GSP. Such high voltage cables are normally carried above ground on transmission towers (“pylons”) but in urban areas or conservation areas can be placed underground. The cables run past the King’s Buildings, along West Mains Avenue, down to the Blackford Avenue railway bridge, opposite the Avenue Stores, up Blackford Avenue, then along the western end of Grange Loan and along Newbattle Terrace. They are shown in blue in the SPEN drawings. At the Blackford Avenue railway bridge, the large size of the cables precluded them being laid under the roadway and above the railway, and so special pipe bridges were built alongside the road bridge to carry the cables.
These large 275 kV cables consume much of the available space under the roadway, and over the railway at Blackford Avenue. Therefore, the routing for the new 33 kV cables has to be along a different route, crossing the railway at the next available bridge to the East, at Mayfield Road.
Bumping this post back to the top of the homepage.
From Mark Batho:
“As some of you will know, Scottish Power Electricity Networks (SPEN) is planning major upgrade works which will potentially have a significant impact (in terms of roadworks) on several roads in the Grange and beyond. Details of the proposals can be found above in this forum post.
We’d like to publicise a public meeting that has been offered by SPEN about the forthcoming works. Brian Cameron of the Craigmillar Park residents’ association has been very active in this and has arranged such a meeting on Thursday 20th March at 7.30pm. The meeting will be held at King’s Buildings in the Larch Lecture theatre, which is part of the Nucleus Building. It is on the first floor but has step-free level access and a lift.
While a map of the KB campus is readily accessible online, Brian Cameron has also helpfully provided directions to find the venue, as follows:
‘The easiest way to get in, is to use the entrance opposite Hallhead Road. For users wanting to use public transport, the nearest stop for both the numbers 12 & 24 is to dismount at the stop just at the junction before Kings Buildings. Then go up the steps at the front of KB and take a left turn past the Old Buildings, (Charlotte Auerbach Road). Go along that until it joins the road coming in from Mayfield Road – opposite Hallhead Road. Turn right past the (Mary Bruck) building and continue in a straight line to reach the Nucleus Building. The Larch Lecture Theatre is situated on the first floor and there both steps and a lift to that level.
For the number 38 bus users, exit at the last stop on West Mains Road and follow the instruction noted earlier. Please note however that the Service 38 will have ceased by the time the meeting is expected to finish. The number 9 bus goes into the campus. For those using that and for the athletic walkers coming from the Blackford end – I would recommend using the second entrance into the campus – off West Mains Road. It’s a straight line, follow where road curves left and they will be at the Nucleus building.’ “
Bumping this post back to the top of the homepage (again).
Anyone know where this has got to (I mean logistically)?
Is that why e.g. the junction of Grange Loan and Kilgraston Road was dug up?
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