The first 36 of a new T-shaped power pole have been wired, National Grid has announced.
The pylons, the first new design in Britain since 1927, are planned to be used throughout England and Wales for years to come.
Instead of an Eiffel Tower-style lattice A-frame with a series of arms holding the power cords, they’re strung under a cross arm on a single pole.
The aim is to reduce the visual impact on the environment.
The new design, submitted by Danish company Bystrup, was selected from more than 250 entries in a competition organized by the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Government in 2011.
At 35 m (115 ft), they are about a third shorter than traditional pylons and have a smaller footprint.
The first are part of a 57 km (35 mile) route that will carry low-carbon electricity between Bridgewater and Portbury in Somerset.
They will connect the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant to six million homes and businesses, National Grid says.
Hinkley nuclear power plant on course for opening in 2026
Green light for Hinkley Pylon planning in Somerset
The power supply will be switched on in October.
As part of the project, 249 old tree branches will be removed.
Her design, submitted by US engineering firm Miliken Brothers, was chosen in a 1927 competition for leading British architect Sir Reginald Blomfield, designer of London’s Lambeth Bridge.
Formerly known as “transmission towers”, they became known as “pylons”, from the Greek word “pyle”, meaning “gate”.
Egyptology was on everyone’s lips after the discovery of the tomb and mummy of the young King Tutankhamun in 1922.
And the public thought the new steel towers resembled the impressive obelisks on either side of the doors of ancient Egyptian temples.
There are about 22,000 masts in England and Wales, covering more than 4,300 miles.
They have to be tall to bridge obstacles like roads, rivers and railroad tracks and make sure nothing gets too close.
The power cables on poles are not insulated, so there is a very high risk of electric shock.
However, birds are not electrocuted because they do not touch the ground, so the current stays in the power line.
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