The National Grid Substation, Sellindge

VM Elevators Ltd are proud to announce that they have been appointed as the contractors for the new Lift installation project at the National Grid’s substation in Sellindge, Kent.

From receipt of instruction to handover, VM will supply and fit a ‘One Lift’ solution.  Adhering to tight deadlines, with production and labour confirmed, VM have accelerated works – and will complete the job within an outstanding time frame of just 9 weeks, a turnaround which is monumental and unheard of within the Lift industry.

The National Grid have also selected Murphy’s building company to rebuild the lift shaft due to  the current destruction of the existing one as a result of the fire that emerged at the  National Grid interconnector France-Anglettere electrical base in September 2021, leaving the substation severely damaged and in need of extensive repair work in order to return it to service.

The interconnector which has been in operation since 1986, is fundamental to Britain importing and exporting electricity with European countries inc. France, Belgium, Ireland, Denmark and the Netherlands, all of which have played an instrumental role in assisting to balance electricity in recent years, a move away from fossil fuel generation leaning towards more weather dependent means like offshore wind.

The subsea cable which runs under the English Channel was subsequently damaged, meaning there was no power link between the UK and France, which remained off from September 25 2021 and was only able to function at half of its two gigawatt capacity since March 2022.

‘VM Elevators is thrilled to be the chosen Lift service provider. We understand the scale of the job and the impact on livelihoods and businesses like Eurostar that incurred as an aftermath of the fire. We look forward to playing our role in returning the National Grid’s Sellindge substation to its full operational functionality.’ CEO Simon Whitbread