EDP inovação - speeding up underground grids

The SUUG (Speed Up Underground Grids) project, tackles the challenges of underground grid construction amidst the energy transition. This paper underscores the necessity of modernizing power grid infrastructure to achieve the ambitious 2050 goals. Collaborating with EDP DSOs in Portugal, Spain, and Brazil, the project identifies current construction methods as time-consuming, labour-intensive, and disturbance. To address these issues, SUUG explores innovative technologies such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), trenchless drilling, trenching, and vacuum excavation. Field tests reveal that these technologies, both individually and in combination, can significantly streamline underground grid construction, reduce labour requirements, and minimize external impact. The project's ultimate goal is to promote the mass adoption of these technologies for EDP DSOs’ underground grid construction, delivering a decision tree that enables EDP DSOs to identify the optimal combination of technologies for specific scenarios, enhancing efficiency and productivity.