Plenty of unusual things wash up on Welsh beaches, but something very unexpected will be turning up on one stretch of sand.
It is a massive 128-tonne transformer that's destined for the National Grid site near the decommissioned nuclear power station at Trawsfynydd.
A barge will bring the transformer to Gwynedd beach and it's likely to be there for a few days.
The exact location of its arrival is Traeth y Graig Ddu (Black Rock sands) at Morfa Bychan.
It had been planned to bring the barge into Porthmadog harbour last April, but this was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, reports North Wales Live.
There had been concern the delivery would have badly disrupted the harbour so, in a first for National Grid, the transformer is arriving at the beach.
National Grid project manager Wendy Williamson said a 330-metre temporary trackway would be laid on the beach on Tuesday, September 1, and the transformer would arrive on an 80-metre barge on Wednesday.
A 10-metre corridor will be cordoned off for the trackway, with two walkways for pedestrians to cross, and vehicle access to the beach will be via Beach Road.
The transformer will remain at the beach, which will continue to have public access, until Friday, September 4, and will then begin to make its way to Trawsfynydd substation, arriving at around 12.30pm.
The nuclear power station being built twenty miles from Cardiff:
Ms Williamson said: “Millions of people rely on us to supply their electricity without interruption, day in, day out, so it’s important that we keep our substations and the equipment in them working efficiently.
“It’s a first for National Grid to have a transformer arriving onto a Welsh public beach, and certainly National Grid’s longest beach landing with 330m of track being laid, but we’ve been planning this for months to ensure we can deliver power reliably to the local area.”
There will be a rolling road closure with a police escort to help manage traffic, but Ms Williamson warned the exceptional size of the load and its speed of travel meant there might be some delays.
She said: “The journey and route, which is dependent on tide and weather conditions, has been carefully planned with our specialist haulage contractors and relevant authorities to minimise disruption to the public and road users.
“It will be delivered on a specialist vehicle which is 31.5 metres long and will travel at approximately 12 miles per hour.”
After leaving the beach, the vehicle will enter Porthmadog along Bank Place, turning right onto the High Street and continue onto Britannia Terrace and the A487 and A470 to Trawsfynydd.
National Grid and North Wales Police recommend anyone planning to use the roads mentioned above should try to find alternative routes or allow additional time for their journey.
A broadcast text service will be available to keep motorists and residents updated on the morning of the transformer movement.
To subscribe to the service, text INFO to 07860 027814.
