Ipsum to deliver high-voltage project

An engineering project in Sheffield is set to transform an industrial site with a significant new investment in infrastructure.

Ipsum Group has secured a four-year contract to replace Sheffield Forgemasters’ entire high-voltage network across its 85-acre site. 

Forming part of the manufacturer’s £1.3 billion recapitalisation programme, the work sits alongside plans for a new 13,000-tonne forging line and a 30,000m² machine shop.

The £40 million HV project will modernise the site’s cabling and power systems, increasing supply capacity through new 33kV connections running almost three miles from Northern Powergrid’s substation. 

In addition, the upgrade is expected to boost resilience across the engineering group’s operations by strengthening links to the District Network Operator and National Grid.

A new data acquisition and control system will be introduced as part of the overhaul, enabling greater efficiency and faster fault response across the network as Sheffield Forgemasters continues its long-term investment in future growth.

Craig Fisher, programmes director at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: “The upgrade of our HV infrastructure is a huge undertaking. 

“Much of our existing HV equipment is more than 40-years old, so its replacement is essential to ensuring continued, secure production.

“Ipsum will install more than 75,000 metres of cabling across all areas of the site, predominately underground, as well as replacing every HV asset whilst maintaining access and power supply to the Sheffield Forgemasters’ operations throughout the scheme.

“Additional capacity to drive new plant, including the new Forging Line and more than 15 large-scale machines in the new machine shop, and added security of supply through multiple feeds will protect the crucial work that we do for UK defence programmes.”

Barry Grier, managing director from Ipsum Power, added: “We are delighted to continue our long-term partnership with Sheffield Forgemasters. 

“The contract to replace all the HV assets, whilst ensuring continual HV supply to its operations is significant and complex. 

“Our teams have a very strong and successful working relationship, and we are already on-site working with the Sheffield Forgemasters Recapitalisation team, led by Ipsum’s Ian Needham, to ensure smooth delivery of the project.”

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