More than 50 electricity pylons are to be dismantled in the picturesque Stirling Valley and replaced with underground cable from next week.
The £25 million project being carried out by SP Energy Networks will see a total of 51 overhead 132kV line and pylons replaced with 17km of underground cable between Stirling and Glenbervie, just to the north of Falkirk.
Once the installation of the cable is complete, work on dismantling the 51 pylons, some up to 35m (115ft) tall, is due to begin in late 2018.
The project to install the cabling and remove the pylons is part of the agreed legacy from the installation of the 137-mile Beauly-Denny Overhead Line Project transforming and modernising a key link in Scotland’s electricity transmission network.
SP Energy Networks have confirmed that preparatory work on installing ducting for the cables will commence on Monday following local community consultation.
The new cable will follow a route leaving SP Energy Network’s electricity substation at Springkerse Industrial Estate in Stirling heading north under the River Forth to Manor Powis and south on a route near the A91, the A905 and the A9 through Plean to Glenbervie.
Only once the cable installation and associated works are complete will the demolition of the 51 pylons between Manor Powis and Glenbervie commence.
An SP Energy Networks spokesman said the cable installation work will be carried out in phases between now and mid-2018 with underground ducting being installed prior to cable sections being pulled through the ducts.
He said: “Removing the pylons in this section of the Stirling was part of the agreed legacy of the installation of the Beauly-Denny line. Residents and visitors alike will notice a significant transformation in the environment.”
To safely complete the work, extensive traffic management measures will be utilised.
The spokesman added: “This is a complex programme of works which we aim to have completed in mid-2018, barring any unforeseen delays.”
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