The 400 kV Thames Crossing is an

overhead power line An overhead power line is a structure used in electric power transmission and distribution to transmit electrical energy across large distances. It consists of one or more uninsulated electrical cables (commonly multiples of three for three-p ...

crossing of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

, between Botany Marshes in

Swanscombe Swanscombe Help:IPA/English, /ˈswɒnzkəm/ is a village in the Borough of Dartford in Kent, England, and the civil parish of Swanscombe and Greenhithe. It is 4.4 miles west of Gravesend and 4.8 miles east of Dartford. History Prehistory B ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, and

West Thurrock West Thurrock is an area, former civil parish and traditional Church of England parish in Thurrock, Essex, England, located 17.5 miles (28.1 km) east south-east of Charing Cross, London. In 1931 the parish had a population of 5,153. On 1 Apr ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, England. Its towers are the tallest

electricity pylon A transmission tower, also known as an electricity pylon or simply a pylon in British English and as a hydro tower in Canadian English, is a tall structure, usually a steel lattice tower, used to support an overhead power line. In electrical ...

s in the UK. The present crossing was built in 1965, and comprises two 190-metre (623 feet) tall

lattice tower A lattice tower or truss tower is a freestanding vertical framework tower. This construction is widely used in transmission towers carrying high voltage electric power lines, in radio masts and towers (a self-radiating tower or as a support for a ...

s each side of the Thames. Some suggest that the choice of this height was deliberate, being just taller than the

BT Tower The BT Communication Tower is a grade II listed communications tower located in Fitzrovia, London, owned by BT Group. Originally named the Museum Radio Tower (after the adjacent Museum telephone exchange), it became better known by its unoff ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The span is , the minimum height of the conductors over the river is 76 metres (249 feet). Each tower has three crossarms and carries two circuits of 400 kV

three-phase Three-phase electric power (abbreviated 3φ) is a common type of alternating current used in electricity generation, Electric power transmission, transmission, and Electric power distribution, distribution. It is a type of polyphase system empl ...

AC. 400 kV power lines also cross the Thames at the

Thames Cable Tunnel The Thames Cable Tunnel, also known as the Tilbury – Gravesend Cable Tunnel, is a tunnel carrying high-voltage electrical transmission lines beneath the lower River Thames between Tilbury and Gravesend. It remains the furthest tunnel downst ...

, the

Dartford Cable Tunnel The Dartford Cable Tunnel is a 2.4 km utility tunnel beneath the Thames, upstream of the Dartford Crossing. With a diameter of ~, it carries a 400 kV National Grid electrical transmission cable. It is accessible by foot as a crossing of ...

, and the London Power Tunnels.

132 kV Thames Crossing

There was at one time an earlier 132 kV crossing nearby, with towers 148.4 metres tall. Linking

Dagenham Dagenham () is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Dagenham is centred east of Charing Cross. It was historically a rural parish in the Becontree Hundred of Essex, stretching from Hainault Forest ...

and

Crossness Crossness is a location in the London Borough of Bexley, close to the southern bank of the River Thames, to the east of Thamesmead, west of Belvedere and north-west of Erith. The place takes its name from Cross Ness, a specific promontory on the ...

, it was built between 1927 and 1932 and was part of the Belvedere-Crowlands 132/33/25 kV double circuit. With the cessation of generation at

Belvedere Power Station Belvedere Power Station was an oil-fired 480 MW power station on the river Thames at Belvedere, south-east London. It was commissioned in 1960 and operated for 26 years. It was decommissioned in 1986 and was subsequently demolished in 1993–94. ...

, this line was dismantled in 1987.

2006 death

In March 2006, Paul Smith-Crallan attempted to BASE jump from a platform on the Swanscombe Tower. The parachute he was using is believed to have failed to open, causing him to plunge to his death. This tower is a popular base jumping location because of two platforms that provide good launch points.

Gallery

File:High Voltage? - geograph.org.uk - 39699.jpg, Detail of the Essex Tower File:High Power? - geograph.org.uk - 48940.jpg, Detail of the Kent Tower File:The 400 kV Thames Crossing Kent tower.jpg, Aerial view of the 190 metre

23 feet 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

Kent tower and Queen Elizabeth suspension bridge. File:400kV Thames Crossing Kent Tower, Botany Marshes, Swanscombe, Kent. 01.jpg, View of the internal structure of the Kent tower. File:400kV Thames Crossing Kent Tower, Botany Marshes, Swanscombe, Kent. 02.jpg, View of one of the Kent tower legs.

References

External links

* * * {{ThamesCrossings, west= DLR tunnel to Woolwich Arsenal, east=

Towers in Kent Powerline river crossings Electric power infrastructure in England Electric power transmission in the United Kingdom 1965 establishments in England Energy infrastructure completed in 1965

132 kV Thames Crossing

2006 death

Gallery

See also

References

External links