THE first building completed and ready for the 2012 Olympics is a plain electricity sub-station which has just been officially switched on. It’s not exactly the most exciting of the prestigious Olympic structures, the Mayor of Tower Hamlets admitted when he threw the switch
THE first building completed and ready for the 2012 Olympics site is a plain and simple electricity sub-station which has just been officially switched on.
It's not exactly the most exciting of the prestigious Olympic structures, the Mayor of Tower Hamlets admitted when he threw the switch, yet it was a vital piece in the huge Games complex.
"An electrical substation is not as exciting to most people as some of the other structures underway like the Stadium itself or the Aquatics centre," said Mayor Ahmed Omer.
"But it is equally important, because without this the Olympic Park would not be able to function effectively."
Construction and instillations were completed yesterday by EDF Energy and is now ready to be 'powered up,' the Olympics Authority later confirmed.
The substation at King's Yard in Hackney Wick, in a corner of Tower Hamlets, one of the East London 'host' boroughs bordering the Olympics site, will be supplying all the electricity needs for the Games through a network of 80 miles of new underground cables. The main stadium is set to be the first venue to be powered up early in the New Year.
The substation takes power from the 132,000 volt power network by the River Lea with its transformers 'stepping down' the power to 11,000 volts to distribute to the different venues and buildings as well as the Stratford City development.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here