Utility Week

40 | NOVEMBER 2021 | UTILITY WEEK Cast study Lights, camera, action: drama in Leicester Square Replacing the massive substation buried in Leicester Square is not a task for the faint-hearted. James Wallin visited UKPN's site to find out about the unique challenges of this very public project. E lectricity network operators don't typically seek publicity, but in the case of the Leicester Square project but this is a case where UK Power Networks (UKPN) has not been afraid to put its name in lights. The £16 million upgrade to the substation under Lon- don's iconic Leicester Square is a project like no other and has meant the capital's network operator and its contractors have nowhere to hide. Quite apart from the very obvious presence in one of London's tourist hotspots, there are the regular updates on the project provided by Roman Kemp on his break- fast show for Capital Radio, which is broadcast from the square. The substation, which was opened by the Queen in 1991 and is the fi‰h most loaded on UKPN's network, also serves some illustrious addresses – from West End theatres to a good chunk of Whitehall. I visited the site to meet Jason Gunning, a project manager for the works, and his team. I was able to wit- ness a landmark for the works as the second of three 65-tonne transfomers was taken away from the site, with the help of the appropriately named "mega-li‰". Work was also under way to welcome its 80-tonne replacement the following day. The project began in November 2020, earlier than originally planned in order to capitalise on Covid's calm- ing influence on an area that normally welcomes 250,000 visitors a day, and is due to continue until November next year. Covid has meant that rather than being done in stages, the project could be completed in one stretch, and thus a shorter timeframe. One of the first conversations to be had was around the visual impact of the works, which take up around a third of the square. The result was an innovative approach to hoardings, which combined the official branding of Leicester Square and UKPN and was made up of electrical lines, meaning the messaging is illumi- nated at night. Since being erected, the hoardings have carried updates on the project itself but also signposted passers-by to businesses within the square, including promoting offers through QR codes. Other challenges that needed to be overcome included removing a section of the 150,000 granite pav- ing slabs that were imported from China and fitted across Photo: UKPN

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