Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) is set to invest a further £1.5 million in Winchester's electricity infrastructure, boosting the resilience and strength of the power supply for residents and business owners in the Hampshire city.
This latest programme of works will see the completion of a series of upgrades carried out in Winchester to ensure a reliable and secure network for the city's 11,000 customers for years to come. Prior to a £1.3 million pound improvement to the local network, which was completed last year, SSEN also built a new substation to accommodate the requirements of the thriving and developing city.
The final part of the project will run for five months to enable the upgrade of 2.2 kilometres of underground cable; new sections of modern, robust cable will replace the existing cable which is reaching the end of its working life, allowing for future commercial and residential connections.
In compliance with government guidelines on social distancing and the use of enhanced Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to ensure maximum safety for customers in the area and colleagues working on the project, SSEN will start the improvement works on Tuesday 14 July in Silchester Place with the route ending in Stanmore Lane on 19 October 2020. SSEN's working guidelines will include the implementation of a one person one van policy, thorough safety checks in advance of any work, and maintaining a two metre distance at all times.
Lee Roden is SSEN's Project Manager for the Winchester City Centre upgrade. He said:
"As we reach the final programme of works for Winchester, I'd like to thank our customers in advance for the patience and understanding they have shown SSEN and our project teams as we have worked to upgrade the power supplies to their beautiful city."
"This latest, substantial investment will ensure a power supply that will serve those who live and work here for many years to come."
Lee added: "While we will do all we can to minimise any possible noise or disruption for those near to the works, I also want to reassure our customers that our engineers are adhering to the strict government guidelines on social distancing, so we can ensure the safety of our colleagues and our customers."
"In the current climate, we are unable to hold a public engagement event to enable residents and business owners to meet the SSEN project team and discuss the works, but we want our customers to know that we will be available to address any questions raised. With this in mind, we have carried out letter drops to all nearby homes and businesses containing details of the project and various ways of contacting the team."
While there are no Planned Service Interruptions (PSI) for the duration of these works SSEN is aware that customers may generally have concerns relating to power cuts during this time. To assist with this 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/aids 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.
As current conditions mean SSEN is unable to hold any public engagement events for the project, it will endeavour to keep residents and business owners in the vicinity of the works updated and able to raise any concerns they might have directly through the Project Manager, by email: Lee.rodensse.com and phone: 07443 745576.