A new research facility being constructed on the edge of a Cambridge science park needed a new 11kV supply brought in from the existing campus ring. The main contractor required a specialist cable contractor for the pull, joints and terminations into a new packaged substation and downstream MV switchroom.
Site access was tight — limited to a single delivery slot per day so as not to disrupt the neighbouring live laboratories — and the campus required environmental sound monitoring throughout.
What the job involved
- 240m of 11kV XLPE triplex pulled drum-to-drum through pre-installed duct.
- One straight joint in a pre-cast pit, with full DNO supervision.
- Indoor termination at the new MV switchroom and outdoor termination at the packaged sub.
- VLF and partial-discharge testing on the completed circuit.
- Cable racking, cleating and identification finished to research-campus QA spec.
Key challenges
- One delivery slot per day for plant and materials — careful programme management throughout.
- Neighbouring laboratories required vibration-sensitive working windows.
- Campus security escort required for every drum movement.
Outcome
- Pull completed within calculated tension envelope first time.
- Both terminations passed PD testing inside acceptable thresholds.
- Facility energised on schedule for the research tenant's fit-out start.
They understood that a research campus isn't a construction site. Movements were planned, noise was managed, and the lab next door didn't even know we were there.
— Construction Manager, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
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