Ecological mitigation work, Hinkley Connection
Background
The Hinkley Connection project is a new high-voltage electricity connection between Bridgewater and Seabank near Avonmouth. The project is a significant investment in the region’s electricity network and will connect new sources of low-carbon energy, including Hinkley Point C, EDF Energy’s new nuclear power station in Somerset, to homes and businesses.
J Murphy is installing 10.7 km of underground 132 V cable between Nailsea and Portishead for National Grid as part of the Hinkley Point C Connection Scheme.
Working closely with J Murphy and the RSK environmental management team, the team was contracted to carry out a wide variety of multi-species ecological mitigation work along the cable route.
Ecological mitigation work
The team:
- supplied, installed and maintained up to 4440 m of semi-permanent amphibian fencing, 1335 m of temporary amphibian fencing and 440 pitfall traps.
- undertook destructive search work on great crested newt habitats that involved removing all the hedgerows and stumps, bank reprofiling and searching small discrete areas of grassland
- undertook reptile mitigation work, including carrying out habitat manipulation on 18 ha of vegetation
- supplied and installed three pole-mounted and two tree-mounted barn owl boxes
- temporarily closed 18 individual badger setts with 37 sett entrances and supplied and installed 740 m2 of ground-proofing mesh
- undertook vegetation clearance, including felling 12 mature trees and clearing and processing 200 m of hedgerow to facilitate a construction of new bell-mouth and site access.
Added value
A collaborative approach with the RSK environmental management team and J Murphy project team helped to ensure that all the ecological constraints were removed and discharged within a single ecological season, thereby helping to prevent costly delays.
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