Work is under way in the Hampshire town, as Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) invests £1.1m to upgrade the local electricity infrastructure serving over 38,000 homes and businesses.

Over the next seven weeks, SSEN will carry out the works in Andover, building resilience to the area's power supply through the upgrade and replacement of over three kilometres of underground cable. The programme of works will keep the town's power supply resilient and secure for decades to come as the network is replaced with new and improved cabling running from Andover Town Centre through to the substation at Charlton Road.

In compliance with social distancing measures and in order to ensure maximum safety for customers in the area and colleagues working on the project, SSEN will carry out the improvement project while adhering to strict Government guidelines on social distancing and the use of enhanced Personal Protection Equipment (PPE). These working guidelines include implementing a one person one van policy, thorough safety checks in advance of any work, and maintaining a two metre distance at all times.

The project - which is due for completion towards the middle of August - sets out to ensure a power supply fit for the future, as SSEN's Project Manager, Lee Roden explains: "Andover is a thriving town and, at SSEN, we want to ensure its homes and businesses have a robust power supply, that will serve them now and into the future. We had identified a section of underground cable, supplying the town, that was nearing the end of its working life and were able to plan in this programme of works to replace it with more advanced and reliable equipment.

"During this substantial upgrade, our engineers will do all they can to minimise disruption and our project team will work closely with those who live and work in the vicinity of the project to address any concerns or questions they may have."

Lee added: "We also appreciate that, in the current climate, our customers will be concerned about any loss of power and I want to reassure them that - for the duration of these works - we are not planning any interruptions to their power supplies."

"Our customers and their safety is always a priority at SSEN, and I would encourage anyone who could benefit from SSEN's additional services, such as the Priority Services Register to sign up."

SSEN has extended its Priority Services Register (PSR) to those who are categorised at 'high risk' and 'extremely high risk' of severe illness from coronavirus, so they are now eligible to sign up for additional support through the free, tailored service. This includes those following government guidelines who have received a letter from the NHS to socially shield for a 12-week period.

Customers are also eligible for SSEN's Priority Services Register if they:

  • Are deaf or hard of hearing
  • Have a disability
  • Live with children under five
  • Are blind or partially sighted
  • Have a chronic illness
  • Use medical equipment/aid reliant on electricity
  • Are over 60
  • Would benefit from PSR services for any other reason, even if temporarily

SSEN produces its Priority Services Register leaflets in 11 different languages; all of which are also available to read and download from its website, by going to: www.ssen.co.uk/psr. The website will also translate every page to over 100 languages, and read 33 of them aloud; simply by clicking on the Accessibility 'triple A' button in the top right hand corner.

To find out more, please go to the Priority Services Register page on our website: www.ssen.co.uk/psr, where SSEN's multi-language PSR leaflets can also be accessed and downloaded.

For the duration of the works, SSEN will be available to address any questions raised by the community, so that all parties involved are able to influence any possible impact these works may have.Letter drops will be carried out to homes and businesses to update them on the phases of the project as it reaches their immediate area, as some of the areas of the upgrade may lead to traffic management systems. All temporary diversions will also be available to view in www.roadworks.org.