BIRMINGHAM, UNITED KINGDOM - A $7.5 million refurbishment project has begun on a substation that serves the historic chocolate factory in Bournville, Birmingham.

The project includes replacing four grid power transformers, 132 kV circuit breakers and other 13 2kV equipment, along with all of the 11 kV switchgear which was installed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, reports Utility Week.

The substation at Bournville was one of the first in Birmingham when it was built in the 1920s and it is included as one of the landmarks on a local heritage trail, presenting the project with a number of challenges in order to preserve the original substation building.

The project involves dismantling and rebuilding sections of the 16.5-foot-high wall to access each of the existing transformers.

Each transformer and associated switchgear will then be taken out and replaced, before the brickwork is rebuilt. The process will be repeated with all the bays along the 164-foot-long boundary wall.

The project is expected to be completed in 2022.

Source: Utility Week