40 Leadenhall Street

The Project

Power On continues to flex its electrical distribution prowess after delivering power to a multimillion-pound scheme in the City of London.

Mace selected Power On as its electricity partner for the circa one-million-square-foot development situated in London’s prestigious Square Mile.

The 34-storey commercial development is set to become a new landmark addition to London’s skyline, sitting juxtaposed to the Gherkin and Walkie Talkie buildings.

Initial works began for Power On back in 2014 when it started diverting the HV and LV supplies to allow for the demolition of the existing buildings. This included the removal of two UK Power Networks (UKPN) integral substations and temporarily locating one ready to be repositioned into the new building once it was built. The Power On team also delivered two 1MvA 11kV temporary builder supplies, which enabled the build to go ahead.

Once the main scheme works started, Power On faced a series of significant electrical actions to ensure proper provision for the development. The team worked closely with UKPN on the successful installation of a 33Kv UKPN primary intake room. They concurrently installed a 33Kv GTC transformer room, an 11kV GTC intake room with provision to supply the customer-owned downstream intake rooms, and a GTC 11kV retail substation. To support the load of such a large building, bespoke 1000mm 33kV cables were used to supply the primary intake room.

A challenge of a different nature presented itself to Power On as the work progressed. Although the point of connection was near the site, it was located on Fenchurch Street. This being a main arterial route into London, Power On was faced with several logistical challenges focused on working around high footfall and traffic congestion. Power On worked closely with the City of London authority to effectively plan its programmed works in such a way as to minimise any disruption.

Fast thinking and the ability to pivot are stand-out qualities of the Power On team – a great example of which happened during this project when plans had to quickly change. To overcome logistical delivery challenges surrounding the site’s lorry lifts, Power On worked collaboratively with Mace, Rawcliffe, and Brush to deliver the 33kV transformers ahead of the basement roof going on. The plant was then stored in a secure protected location within the basement. When ready, these were moved into the newly built substations for commissioning.