New transformer delivered to Bengeworth Road substation
178 tonne supergrid transformer and specialist SF6-free technology arrived at National Grid’s new 400 kV Bengeworth Road substation.

Image for illustration purposes.
UK, London: A 178 tonne supergrid transformer and specialist SF6-free technology arrived at National Grid’s new 400 kV Bengeworth Road substation being built by National Grid and construction partner Linxon as part of the £1 billion London Power Tunnels 2 project to reinforce London’s electricity network. The first of two transformers was delivered to the substation in Lambeth from the Port of Tilbury, with haulage experts Allelys delivering it on a specialist vehicle under police escort.
High voltage EconiQ™ gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) and gas-insulated lines (GIL) developed by Hitachi Energy have also arrived for installation at Bengeworth Road, marking a key milestone in the construction of the country’s first substation to be free of sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) gas. The installation of SF6-free EconiQ GIS and GIL marks a key step towards the ambition to reduce emissions of the gas from the network by 50% by 2030.
SF6-free technology has been trialled on National Grid’s network at its 400 kV Richborough substation in Kent where engineers removed SF6 from an existing gas-insulated busbar and replaced it with a greener alternative. The recently energised 400 kV Littlebrook substation in Kent is also partially SF6– free, featuring GE Vernova’s g3 gas-insulated busbar equipment, helping National Grid to save 5.6 tonnes of SF6 from its network.
The Bengeworth Road substation is situated in the centre of National Grid’s 32.5 km London Power Tunnels 2 route between Wimbledon and Crayford and will provide a 132 kV connection for local grid operator UK Power Networks to distribute electricity in the area. A second transformer is planned to arrive at Bengeworth Road on the first weekend in February, with two further transformers planned for delivery to the New Cross substation, also part of the London Power Tunnels 2 project, in February and over spring.
Source: National Grid
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