October this year saw LPC undertake a major upgrade to an important data centre in Wiltshire. The need for further cloud storage meant that our team had to create HV contestable network connections spanning an 8km route over an ecologically sensitive area. With a historic terrain to accommodate dating back to the Roman period, and diverse flora and fauna, it required careful negotiation and planning. LPC worked closely with the conservation experts on this project, to make sure that the operation was managed with kid gloves. Neil Coates, managing director of LPC, says…
‘’Because we were overseeing operations in sensitive environments, it was important to work closely with ecological specialists to mitigate disruption to badgers, nesting birds, bats and newts’’.
The team at LPC take their responsibilities to wildlife and arboriculture very seriously. By installing sections of the route with trenchless directional drilling techniques, we cleverly alleviated the need for standard open cut methods. This innovative operation meant that the environment’s natural inhabitants were left undisturbed. We strategically installed dual ducted 33kV circuits and triple sub ducted fibre optic cables, which were thoroughly tested and commissioned. The project so far has been hugely successful, and proving to be a challenging but enjoyable assignment.
Meanwhile, others in the LPC team were busy completing the accreditation process with Lloyds for the National Electricity Registration Scheme (NERS). Because of its industry recognition and high standards required for eligibility, the award of accreditation has been a great achievement for LPC. The process for Lloyds included the design, substation and jointing of 11Kv and 33kV networks.
Since 2005 LPC has held full NERS Nationwide accreditation for civils and cabling works to 33KV and partial to 132Kv, but for the first time we are now able to provide clients with the complete Lloyds accredited ICP turn-key services from design to final commissioning. What this means is that LPC is in the strong position to offer state of the art contestable connection solutions from start to finish, with quality assured service. To find out more about how we can help with complex connection requirements, just get in touch with the team who are always happy to talk about what sort of creative solutions they can come up with.