Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) is investing half a million pounds to boost the power supply to a market town in south east Hampshire.

Starting on Monday 17 February, SSEN will begin a programme of works in Gosport that will reinforce the electricity infrastructure to the area's 3,500 homes and businesses, while future-proofing the supply to improve its resilience for decades to come.

Lasting twelve weeks, the £500,000 investment will see the replacement and upgrade of two of the area's existing underground cables. Network reliability is a key priority for SSEN and the customers it serves, and this project follows engagement with Gosport's customers on how to improve network resilience, while reinforcing the local network to meet customers' changing needs; all part of SSEN's commitment to taking a "you said, we did" approach to investing in its vital infrastructure.

Graham Humpston is SSEN's Project Manager for the Gosport project and explains further:

"These works demonstrate our commitment to customers in ensuring they have the most resilient and future-proof network to meet their requirements, now and in the long-term.

"This upgrade will see the removal of existing underground cabling - which we have established will soon be reaching the end of its working live - replacing it with a modern alternative that will serve the area for many years."

For the duration of the twelve-week upgrade, some areas will require the use of a temporary traffic management system to ensure the safety of road users, pedestrians and engineers carrying out the works. Full details and latest updates will be available through www.roadworks.org.

As a considerate constructor, SSEN understands the importance of minimising disruption during works and enabling the provision of a safe and reliable supply of electricity to its customers.

While there are no planned outages to Gosport's electricity supply for the duration of these works, SSEN would like to make customers aware of its Priority Services Register (PSR), which provides additional free assistance for customers who feel they may become vulnerable should they experience a power cut.

Customers can qualify for the PSR if they:

  • Are dependent on electricity for home medical care
  • Have a chronic illness or short-term medical condition
  • Are disabled
  • Have special communication needs
  • Have children under the age of five
  • Are over the age of 60?

Once signed up, customers on the PSR will receive a phone call in relation to a power cut or planned supply interruption and, where necessary, a welfare check from a member of a specially-trained team. To find out more about the PSR, go to https://www.ssen.co.uk/PriorityServices/ or call 0800 294 3259.