Multi-utility and low carbon heat specialist Power On is delighted has completed work at the Beechmoor Retirement Village in Chester, with a bespoke substation powering 155 flats on a development worth approximately £36million.
The development, for which the main contractor was Elliott Group, consists of a mix of one- and two-bedroom retirement homes, split across six villas, with a restaurant, café and wellness area. Power On’s role was to provide electrical landlord supplies to each of the six villas, as well as an electrical supply to the main Pavillion and a bulk Electric Vehicle (EV) charging supply.
The EV charging points will help the development to reach net zero carbon emissions and renewable energy sources were used on site.
Part of the project involved Power On undertaking directional drilling under a large and busy road junction on the A41 in Chester. Known for its solutions for complex utilities projects, Power On worked closely with the highways authorities to complete the 109 meters of drilling from the high-voltage connection point to the site, without having to close the road.
Glen Deacon, Contract Manager at the Elliott Group said: “With a few extra challenges and complications on the electricity connections for this retirement village, we wanted to ensure we used experts who would be able to take on the project with all its elements and who would deal directly with all parties. Power On were able to do just that and the village was energised efficiently and successfully.”
A key technical element of the Beechmoor project was the implementation of an ‘X-Type’ substation. This is a more complex, non-standard arrangement, usually seen in larger-scale infrastructure settings.
Unlike standard substations, the X-Type requires a bespoke indoor brick-built enclosure to house specialist equipment, including a wall-mounted Solkor protection panel, auxiliary batteries, enhanced monitoring systems, and communications interfaces. These additions enable high-voltage network monitoring and increased fault detection capability, providing extra resilience to the supply infrastructure.
Installing an X-Type substation at Beechmoor required the delivery of a complex electrical solution, tailored to specific network conditions. Power On worked closely with the customer to ensure the correct specifications were adhered to and this reflects Power On’s commitment to exceeding regulatory and technical standards where appropriate.
During the course of this project, SP Energy Networks (SPEN) introduced changes to their internal processes and policies without providing immediate clarification to Independent Connection Providers. This posed a potential obstacle to progress. To address this, Power On’s design team engaged directly with SPEN’s engineering teams through a series of targeted workshops and discussions.
As a result, new working procedures were established jointly between the respective teams. These ensure smoother, more efficient communication and a clearer path through the design submission process — benefitting both present and future projects.
Gur Weiss, Senior Design Engineer at Power On said: “Beechmoor Retirement Village Project has been a fantastic project to be part of — a well-planned, future-focused retirement village that reflects the kind of developments we’re proud to energise. For this scheme, our role was to deliver the full electrical infrastructure. We also offer full multi-utility solutions including heat networks and water. We’re already supporting other projects with integrated multi-utility designs and are excited to help more communities on the journey to net zero.”
