• The brand new integrated centre for eye care, research, and education will open in Camden in 2027
• ABB Electrification teams implemented technology in the centre to ensure power continuity and safety
• Following a £1.5 million installation contract for low voltage equipment, ABB will provide multi-year servicing of the technology
ABB Electrification, a leading provider of power distribution and smart building technologies, has completed a £1.5 million installation of low voltage smart power solutions at a new centre for eye care, research, and education being built in Camden, London, by leading contractor Bouygues UK.
Opening in 2027, the world-class centre is a joint initiative between Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the University College London (UCL) Institute of Ophthalmology, and Moorfields Eye Charity. The centre will bring the expertise of the partners under one roof; and will enable collaborative working between clinicians and researchers to speed up the delivery of the highest quality treatments and therapies for patients.
From an energy management perspective, healthcare centres are among the most complex modern structures. With energy-intensive equipment running 24/7, they require seamless connectivity to manage their critical operations, prevent blackouts due to grid issues and cyberattacks, and protect patients and staff from electrical hazards.
Older hospital infrastructure can often feature inflexible cabling setups with unstructured and dense wiring in cabinets and terminals. Electrical faults are difficult to isolate for repair, and potential fire hazards can go undetected. Within the new centre, ABB aims to exemplify how smart power management can transform healthcare facilities into resilient, safe, and sustainable infrastructures.
By collaborating closely with the site management team, ABB’s Electrification teams strategically directed the delivery of a complete low voltage solution, including key products such as Protecta Plus and Protecta Power distribution boards, TruONE ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) units, and Molded Case Circuit Breakers (MCCBs).
These products are integral for sustaining continuous, efficient power to protect the hospital's operations — by providing modularity and flexibility, safe automatic switching to backup power, and the immediate interruption of faulty circuits. Due to their modularity, they will also enable the retrofitting of future technologies, allowing them to adapt to the customers’ requirements as and when they evolve.
Nigel Thomas, National Specification and Projects Sales Manager, ABB Electrification said: "The main challenge of this project was building ABB’s solutions into a newbuild centre within a restricted area in the heart of central London. When delivering the technology, we took great care to minimise disruption to city life. The installation, and our continued servicing of the technology, will ensure that the new centre will have reliable power management and an energy-efficient infrastructure capable of supporting its operations, patients, and staff for many years to come."