EX2 Group Completes £10 Million Electrical Infrastructure Upgrade at Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital
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The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital has £10 million energy infrastructure overhaul
December 2025
A complex five-year programme has resulted in enhanced resilience, capacity, and patient care at one of the South West’s leading acute hospitals.
EX2 Group has successfully led and completed a £10 million electrical engineering project at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (Wonford), marking the culmination of one of the most technically challenging infrastructure upgrades undertaken in a live acute healthcare environment in recent years.
The project, spanning five years, replaced the hospital’s main low-voltage (LV) and high-voltage (HV) infrastructure and back-up generator systems. The works were undertaken within a fully operational hospital, demanding meticulous planning and execution to support continuity of patient care and clinical services.
“This was a truly complex piece of electrical engineering delivered within a live acute setting,” said Martyn Beale, Managing Director at EX2 Group. “Our team’s collaborative approach, technical precision, and proactive problem-solving were critical in safely delivering this upgrade while supporting operational continuity for the Trust.”
Delivering futureproof resilience and benefits to healthcare
The modernised infrastructure provides RD&E with improved power resilience, safeguards critical medical equipment and services, and supports future expansion of services and new technologies – supporting better patient care for the region.
The comprehensive upgrade included the replacement of four HV 11kV transformers, installation of three 2MVA generators to replace the existing 1.1MVA units, and modernisation of the hospital’s main LV distribution system.
This included two 6300-amp generator switchboards, four 3200-amp switchboards, 6300-amp and 3200-amp cast resin busbar systems, new primary containment, and replacement submain cabling - providing greater electrical resilience, capacity, and flexibility for future development.
To facilitate the new infrastructure substantial construction and enabling works were undertaken. This consisted of construction of a new steel framed generator switch room, construction of a maintenance walkway to provide a resilient services route for distribution of services, relocation of medical gas manifold rooms and the repositioning of the main high temperature heating pumps.
The enabling works for the infrastructure was in itself a substantial piece of engineering for the EX2 team. This included:
- Installation of over 5km of 240mm tri rated Ho7 temporary cable
- Provision of two temporary HV transformers connected to the existing LV switchgear to enable the replacement of the existing transformers
- Provision of three temporary 1.2Mva generators to provide back up power during the replacement of the main generators.
- Temporary scaffolding and structures to support the cabling infrastructure and house the temporary transformers.
It is also worth noting that the works were undertaken around the main logistics entrance to the hospital, requiring close coordination with all site users.
John Horwell, Capital Projects Manager of the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said:
“Improving the power resilience for a major acute hospital like the RD&E is an extremely complex undertaking. Through strong collaboration and careful planning with EX2 Group, we successfully delivered this five-year programme in line with all our strategic and technical objectives. This has been one of the most intricate infrastructure projects we’ve managed, and it has resulted in a significantly more resilient and future-proof power system that will support the hospital’s services and the wider community for many years to come.”
These improvements will directly benefit local healthcare by ensuring continuous, reliable power supply to critical hospital services, minimising the risk of disruption to patient care, and supporting the hospital’s ongoing growth and adoption of cutting-edge medical technologies.
Innovation in delivery and collaboration
Working with 40-year-old infrastructure, EX2 took responsibility as Principal Contractor, developing the design from RIBA Stage 4i to full Construction Stage (RIBA Stage 5). A point cloud survey and Autodesk Revit model of the existing infrastructure enabled early identification of coordination issues and buildability constraints, significantly reducing on-site rework and material waste.
The project’s complexity included a programme of over 400 interdependent tasks, phased carefully to maintain live hospital operations.
EX2 Group’s delivery model prioritised collaboration, transparency, and technical integration, using BSRIA BG6 and Soft Landings principles to ensure clarity of roles, regular BIM-enabled coordination, and proactive resolution of challenges. They worked with Hoare Lea as the client lead consultant and Ward Williams as Cost Consultant.
Steven Williams, Associate Director, Hoare Lea –
“We have helped the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital implement a resilient, future-proof electrical infrastructure capable of efficiently supporting modern healthcare for many years to come.”
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