National Grid has completed the installation of 116 T-pylons in Somerset as it builds out the infrastructure needed to connect Hinkley Point C to the grid.

The project spans about 57km in total between a new substation in Shurton on the Hinkley Point C site and the existing Seabank substation in Avonmouth. The majority is made up of 48.5km of overhead lines, while an 8.5km stretch runs underground through the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Once complete, Hinkley Point C will be the UK’s first new nuclear plant in a generation. Its two nuclear reactors are expected to be able to generate enough low-carbon electricity to power around six million UK homes. The project has faced repeated delays, with EDF admitting in January that the first reactor would not be ready to generate until 2029 at the earliest.

Each of the newly-built T-pylons support 12 conductors for a total of 460km of new power lines across the whole route. Their design sees six conductor spans attached to each...