London Power Tunnels Phase 2

Working as part of the multi-award-winning Hochtief-Murphy Joint Venture HMJV, Murphy is contracted to deliver two major design and construction packages for National Grid as part of their £1bn flagship London Power Tunnels Phase 2 scheme.

We are replacing the existing cable infrastructure, ensuring the resilience of London’s electricity network. 2023 saw an important milestone with the end of tunnelling works, the completion of all five tunnel drives and the construction of all eight shafts – all completed with an exceptional safety performance.

The final breakthrough was achieved in September by TBM ‘Grace’, having tunnelled over 11km eastwards from New Cross substation in Southwark. This completed the 32.5km of tunnels across South London, with every section handed over on, or ahead of, time and within budget.

The Tunnels and Shafts package is due to be completed by mid-2024. The works to build the headhouses, which will cover the shafts and provide safe access to the tunnels and high-voltage cables, are already well underway at all our sites.

• Broke a world record with the Earth Friendly Concrete (EFC) pour in April, saving 111kg of CO2/m3 – the equivalent of a year’s electricity usage of around 140 homes. This won Green Apple and Net Zero Project of the Year awards.
• Constructed 20 km of tunnel in a single year using four TBMs.
• Over 1,500 third party asset crossings undertaken successfully, of which 35 were considered critical.
• Our health and safety performance has been recognised on multiple occasions, with two awards by National Grid and an award for Health Safety & Wellbeing Initiative of the Year by the New Civil Engineer Tunnelling Awards