Restoring views in Eryri National Park through tunnelling
The Eryri Visual Improvement Provision (VIP) project is transforming one of the UK’s most celebrated national parks. Located in Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, North Wales, this £280-300 million scheme is removing visually intrusive electricity pylons and replacing them with a purpose-built underground cable system.
Reducing visual impact, protecting the landscape
Placing the transmission lines underground means pylons can be removed from the estuary, reducing their impact on the surrounding area.
This will not only bring back uninterrupted views across the Afon Dwyryd, but also help enhance biodiversity and support the park’s role as a treasured national landscape.
Navigating complex engineering challenges underground
As part of National Grid’s UK-wide VIP programme, our team is providing geotechnical and tunnelling design expertise for the scheme. It is being delivered by Hochtief UK with AECOM as lead designer.
Key elements include:
Tunnelling beneath a protected estuary in a national park presents complex engineering challenges. The geology is highly variable, ranging from soft glacial deposits to faulted mudstone. This required advanced numerical modelling to design a robust tunnel lining.
Adding to the challenge, this is one of the few UK tunnel projects where seismic activity had to be considered. Ground acceleration levels at the site are among the highest in the country, introducing an additional layer of complexity.
Degree classification: Minimum 2:1 or equivalent.
"I’ve really enjoyed helping set up an Early Careers Network in our Glasgow office to encourage networking and communication between teams." Claire, Ground Engineering, Glasgow
