Laing O'Rourke is to deliver significant carbon savings on a substation extension project in Wimbledon.

The scheme is being carried out for National Grid and is on track to deliver £3 million in savings as well as a 23% carbon reduction.

Modifications have been made to the substation design, making its more efficient and resulted in carbon savings. Features include huge savings in sulphur hexafluoride through more efficient equipment, while 17% fewer piles have been used in the foundations of the substation.

In addition, the gas insulated substation building will have a 17% smaller footprint while firewalls have reduced thickness which also leads to a reduction in the use of materials.

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Ian Cartwright, Director of Capital Delivery for National Grid said: "We've set ambitious targets to reduce the carbon emissions resulting from our construction work by 50% by 2020 and the Wimbledon project represents an important step to achieving that.

"We will include carbon as part of our criteria for investment decisions to enable us to build and maintain a sustainable network for the future. A pilot has already started with an ambitious target to put an internal price on carbon used in all investment decision-making on major projects by 2020.

Laing O'Rourke Project Leader, Lodewyk De Clercq said; "We're delighted to be working with National Grid and to be operating on this innovative approach to evaluating carbon performance, which has allowed us to engage early with National Grid, finding innovative engineering solutions to complex construction challenges."

(LM/MH)