Electricity board wanting to change overhead cables to underground.

livestock 1 · Jan 30, 2020

I’ve been approached by the electricity board with the view for them to change overhead cables to underground. They have told me that they have received a huge amount of money to do this some of this applies to land we own. Their reason was for visual impact and they said that repairs would be less and easier which isn’t easy to believe 100%. When I asked them what sort of payment could be expected for our side she said it was a set payment by means of way-leave.
Has anyone had experience of this? Does anyone know what sort of payment to expect? Can I stop them?
Obviously this will all be bundled up for my agent to deal with but any experience from anyone would be appreciated.
There is a lot of overhead lines and some of the land is ploughable and some is pasture.

Nearly · Jan 30, 2020

Usual answers...
Set a good agent on. Elec co have to pay them.
1m deep minimum.
Make good all drains after and for 10 (?) years.
Pay you to stand and watch them do it.
Do you want an upgrade to 3 phase etc?
They leave you the old wire and old poles.

Just for starters.

240v or 11,000v?
240v will be new 4 core alloy about as thick as your wrist.
We had wire from transformer to meter replaced and buried (and transformer replaced). It must have cost them a fortune.

livestock 1 · Jan 30, 2020

Nearly said:
Usual answers...
Set a good agent on. Elec co have to pay them.
1m deep minimum.
Make good all drains after and for 10 (?) years.
Pay you to stand and watch them do it.
Do you want an upgrade to 3 phase etc?
They leave you the old wire and old poles.

Just for starters.

240v or 11,000v?
240v will be new 4 core alloy about as thick as your wrist.
We had wire from transformer to meter replaced and buried (and transformer replaced). It must have cost them a fortune.

I think it’s the 11,000 v. My main concern is the depth.

livestock 1 · Jan 30, 2020

3ph may help with the turbine opportunities if I can hold them to ransom.

Nearly · Jan 30, 2020

livestock 1 said:
I think it’s the 11,000 v. My main concern is the depth.

Mine would be too.
2m then?

livestock 1 · Jan 30, 2020

Nearly said:
Mine would be too.
2m then?

Bloody frightening to think someone could dig it up. I have a fibre optic cable moled in for a mile and it’s bad enough remembering where it’s at without any more.

teslacoils · Jan 30, 2020

Suspect depth will be set by law anyway.

livestock 1 · Jan 30, 2020

teslacoils said:
Suspect depth will be set by law anyway.

Still safer up above you would think

onesiedale · Jan 30, 2020

Depth will be set pretty much at 1.2m.
Unlike the fibre optic ypu say was moled ?

Definitely get yourself a new transformer and supply big enough to call future proof. If possible go for a second potential transformer location, especially if there's turbine's potentially on stream.

What distance is proposed?

livestock 1 · Jan 30, 2020

onesiedale said:
Depth will be set pretty much at 1.2m.
Unlike the fibre optic ypu say was moled ?

Definitely get yourself a new transformer and supply big enough to call future proof. If possible go for a second potential transformer location, especially if there's turbine's potentially on stream.

What distance is proposed?

I don’t know the exact distance. There’s 4 different lines heading in different directions so it will add up if they want to do the lot.

___\0/___ · Jan 30, 2020

If getting three phase installed check with your electric supplier what the trigger point is for a half hour meter. Can be in the 40s or up 70s

teslacoils · Jan 30, 2020

livestock 1 said:
Still safer up above you would think

No. Safer below. Not exactly practical though for repairs / new connections etc. But at a metre deep you're only likely to touch it if drainage work, and it will be easy to find even then.

milkloss · Jan 30, 2020

teslacoils said:
No. Safer below. Not exactly practical though for repairs / new connections etc. But at a metre deep you're only likely to touch it if drainage work, and it will be easy to find even then.

Don't know if it's possible or not but I would request an addition in the wayleave that they attend within 24hrs when requested to identify the position of any under ground cable.

livestock 1 · Jan 30, 2020

teslacoils said:
No. Safer below. Not exactly practical though for repairs / new connections etc. But at a metre deep you're only likely to touch it if drainage work, and it will be easy to find even then.

Uneven ground with bed rock in places. Some to cultivate. Drains to attend to. The depth they would achieve would be in question the existing cable is much nearer the surface than agreed.
Defiantly not safer below

borderterribles · Jan 31, 2020

Just remember that not all Agents are equal. Get yourself the hardest and most experienced one you can. When my two neighbours had a similar issue arise, but pylon replacement as opposed to undergrounding, one got four times the compensation that the other did , for exactly the same distance! The Electricity Company will be responsible for the Agent's fees anyway.

teslacoils · Jan 31, 2020

milkloss said:
Don't know if it's possible or not but I would request an addition in the wayleave that they attend within 24hrs when requested to identify the position of any under ground cable.

I've never had any of the gas / oil under ground pipe people not be there the same day if I've ever needed to notify then if work near their pipes. These are 24" gas mains at a minimum of 1m below the surface.

I can't imagine any work you would need to do that wouldn't be planned more than 24 hours in advance. Once it's in, you do have a duty of care towards it but really it's going to be fine.

teslacoils · Jan 31, 2020

livestock 1 said:
Uneven ground with bed rock in places. Some to cultivate. Drains to attend to. The depth they would achieve would be in question the existing cable is much nearer the surface than agreed.
Defiantly not safer below

I think if you compared nationally the incidents with overhead wires, most accidents would have been avoided if they were hurried.

Now it's a good point about cables being shallower than agreed. But if the required depth is 1.2m then 1.2m is where they need to be. Bedrock or not.

If you know you want to drain that field in the next few years, use the compensation to do it while they are there. Or get a scheme drawn up and put any outfalls in at the same time.

Fact is if they want to put it underground then underground is where it's going, so get an agent and write a list of stuff you want. Then if bothered about the depth go watch them put it in.

livestock 1 · Jan 31, 2020

teslacoils said:
I think if you compared nationally the incidents with overhead wires, most accidents would have been avoided if they were hurried.

Now it's a good point about cables being shallower than agreed. But if the required depth is 1.2m then 1.2m is where they need to be. Bedrock or not.

If you know you want to drain that field in the next few years, use the compensation to do it while they are there. Or get a scheme drawn up and put any outfalls in at the same time.

Fact is if they want to put it underground then underground is where it's going, so get an agent and write a list of stuff you want. Then if bothered about the depth go watch them put it in.

That’s the problem I have no where near any time to stand and watch them do this. Some of the land has bee drained at huge expense so I wouldn’t trust them to patch them up either.
I have a fibre optic cable moled in for about a mile which was done somewhere over ten years ago which isn’t the agreed depth and has been dug up more than once, that’s where I’m estimating the danger to be fair.

livestock 1 · Jan 31, 2020

borderterribles said:
Just remember that not all Agents are equal. Get yourself the hardest and most experienced one you can. When my two neighbours had a similar issue arise, but pylon replacement as opposed to undergrounding, one got four times the compensation that the other did , for exactly the same distance! The Electricity Company will be responsible for the Agent's fees anyway.

I have a good agent who tends to push for the last penny he can but it’s always good to hear of any previous figures quoted for a starting point.

Rolie · Jan 31, 2020

We've just had a new underground 11000v cable put across our ground. Right cock up from day one, contractors had no regard for our property, fences damaged, gate posts hit, gates left open, rubbish left in feilds, crops driven over outside the agreed working area, reinstatement was shocking, subsoil left on surface, crap job of fencing and walling. In the end kicked up a fuss and got them to pay me to do the fencing and get my own waller in. We've also been paid to repair tracks they damaged and strip off the top 1ft of the trench in places and replace with top soil as we were ploughing up subsoil/crushed rock. All they wanted was to get from A to B as fast as possible and fudge everything that slows them down. Had to check on them every morning and night. Pointers for you: keep a diary of time spent dealing with them even down to 30 second phone calls etc. Ask to check their drain repairs and be notified when they come across one. Check the trench when they're not around for signs of unreported drains and take plenty of photos and lastly, be a ba*stard, let them get away with nothing, make it clear its your land.

Electricity board wanting to change overhead cables to underground.

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