Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) continues to invest in improving the network on the Isle of Islay and invites the local community to an open evening to be held on Wednesday 29 March between 6.00pm and 7.00pm at Bowmore Community Hall.
SSEN is upgrading the electricity network on Islay to improve the island's security of supply by installing a new 11kV switchboard at their Power Station in Bowmore. The investment will modernise its existing network and allow full control from its Network Management Centre in Perth, resulting in quicker restoration times should the power go off. This project builds on current refurbishment works taking place on the island to upgrade overhead lines in the area and provides the key infrastructure required to supply Islay for the future.
Before the work begins, Ross Fenton, Regional Investment Manager and his team at SSEN will be inviting members of the local community to find out more and raise any questions they may have at the opening evening next week.
SSEN's engineers, in partnership with Schneider Electric Limited, will commence work on Monday 3 April 2017 and intend to complete the upgrade in advance of winter 2017.
SSEN will keep disruption to the local community to a minimum during the period with the majority of construction works taking place within the existing Bowmore Power Station boundary. During the project, SSEN may have to use temporary traffic management systems outside the Power Station, particularly during installation of new underground cable infrastructure, but will provide further updates and advanced warnings when they become available.
Graeme Stewart, Head of Region at SSEN, said: "We're investing in our network on Islay to ensure our customers have the power they need, this is part of an ongoing commitment to deliver a more robust electricity network on the island and to improve the service we provide to our customers."
"The nature of the work means that there may be some disturbance to our communities, but our teams will aim to take every practical step possible to keep this disruption to a minimum. We will do everything we can to keep our customers informed of the works and any possible disruption to their local area.
"We'd also ask any customers in vulnerable situations who may be concerned about any impact of these works to join our Priority Services Register, where 24 hour support is available for those who need extra help."
To keep updated with SSEN's progress, please visit ssen.co.uk or follow updates on Facebook and Twitter.
Customers can qualify for SSEN's Priority Services Register if they are dependent on electricity for home medical care, have a chronic illness or short term medical condition, are disabled, are over the age of 60, have special communication needs, have a child under the age of five or for any other reason may not cope in a power cut.
For more information on SSEN's Priority Services Register, please visit ssen.co.uk/PriorityServices/, or to register call 0800 294 3259 or 0800 316 5457 to register using a text phone.