Beginning on 4 August, our contract partners OCU Group will be carrying out high-voltage cable installations along Grenoble Road on our behalf. It will boost your power supplies by future-proofing the underground cables that carry electricity for homes and businesses in Oxford and the surrounding area.
These works are part of a wider programme of improvements across Oxfordshire to upgrade and futureproof your electricity network. SSEN’s investing over £200 million across your community to support its sustained economic growth, by providing more network capacity, and by further improving reliability. The work we’re doing will help ensure homes, schools, businesses and public services will have the power they need for years to come, to charge electric vehicles (including public transport), run heat pumps, connect solar panels, and support decarbonised business growth.
What we’re doing
The project will involve the installation of new high-voltage electricity cables along Grenoble Road.
This will create additional network capacity, improve resilience and help enable new connections, including for clean energy and electric vehicle infrastructure.
Why this work is needed
Electricity is becoming ever-more important in our daily lives. More of us are using more of it in our homes, workplaces, and for transport. Oxfordshire also is growing fast – with thousands of new homes and jobs planned across the county. At the same time, demand for electricity is rising as we move towards a lower-carbon future.
The works on Grenoble Road form part of a long-term programme to strengthen Oxfordshire’s electricity infrastructure. They support three key priorities:
Supporting and driving sustainable economic growth
Oxfordshire is one of the UK’s fastest-growing regions. These upgrades will help unlock the delivery of new homes, business space and science-led development – all powered by a more modern, even more reliable network.
Decarbonising the network
By connecting more renewable energy and enabling the electrification of transport and heating, this investment will help reduce carbon emissions and support a cleaner, greener future.
Building security, resilience and capacity
Upgrading assets and further expanding capacity will make the local network even more reliable – helping to avoid outages and meet rising energy demand from homes, public services and innovation hubs.
Minimising disruption
We understand that roadworks can be disruptive, especially on a busy route like Grenoble Road.
To minimise the impact:
- Works will begin during the school summer holidays, when traffic volumes are lower
- Two-way temporary traffic lights will be used instead of full road closures
- We’re coordinating closely with Oxfordshire County Council and other local projects to reduce overlap and delays
Clear signage will be in place, and we’ll keep local residents, businesses and commuters updated throughout the project.
Service disruptions
There are no planned Power Supply Interruptions (PSI) scheduled to take place during the works, but anyone who has concerns about vulnerability during power cuts should register for our Priority Services.
Operational hours
The works will be taking place from August 2025 through until early 2027, working 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday-Friday. We will nevertheless continue to keep you updated and informed throughout as we progress.
Working with the community
We will be organising a series of in-person events over the coming months, including pop-up stalls, and door knocking.
If you have any other ideas about how we can increase our community involvement, please do get in touch.
Creating a positive legacy
Our approach goes beyond delivering essential infrastructure – SSEN and OCU Group work hand-in-hand with the communities we serve to create a positive social impact and leave a meaningful legacy for future generations. This includes:
- Employment opportunities
- Skills training and apprenticeships
- Educational outreach
- Volunteering in the community
- Collaborating with local charities, organisations and community groups
Contact us at lcd@sse.com to share your thoughts and ideas on how we can work with the local community to deliver a positive social impact.
Stay informed
To keep informed about this project and our works in Oxfordshire, please subscribe here and use the same link that's on the Oxfordshire webpage.
We want to keep local residents informed and make it easy for you to get in touch if you have questions or concerns while the works are underway.
- For project queries, please email: LCD@sse.com
- For general queries or complaints, please contact: 0800 980 1395