A £390,000 programme of works to upgrade and boost power supplies in Shaftesbury have now been completed by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN).
The final stage of the investment project, which benefits the homes and businesses of over 7,000 customers located in the Dorset town, was realised after a slight delay to the schedule in order to comply with restrictions, in line with the Government's coronavirus guidelines.
SSEN's Project Planner, John O'Reilly explains more:
"The safety of our customers and colleagues is always our priority at SSEN, so while we were disappointed to have to delay the completion of Shaftesbury's upgrade works, we had no hesitation in doing what was best for all of those involved."
"The works resumed as soon as we were able to safely accommodate the necessary social-distancing measures and I'd like to thank the residents and business owners in the town for their patience while we worked to improve this power supply that will serve them for years to come."
The Shaftesbury project revolved predominantly around the replacement of network equipment, which had reached the end of its working life, with modern and efficient alternatives, including new poles for overhead lines, transformers and switches, and low voltage conductors; all providing a safe and reliable power supply for the town's needs ahead of the winter months.
In addition to further improving the resilience of supply, the significant investment in the Dorset town's electricity network will help to future-proof its infrastructure for any changing demands of its residents and businesses; all part of SSEN's commitment to taking a "you said, we did" approach to investing in its vital infrastructure.
John added: "As part of SSEN's ongoing network investment programme, these works have been critical in ensuring Shaftesbury's infrastructure is not only winter-ready, but also ready to help Dorset achieve its net-zero ambitions."
The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) expect electricity demand to double by 2050 as more and more customers shift to electric vehicles (EV) and heating. SSEN is working to understand the ambitions of the communities it serves, and to enable this transition. SSEN has published Accelerating a Green Recovery setting out ten measures for the Government to ensure no communities are left behind in the transition to net zero carbon emissions.