Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has invested £400,000 to boost the resilience of power supplies to hundreds of homes and businesses in Swindon ahead of the winter months.
The programme of works in Eldene and Colingsmead have been completed ahead of schedule and to budget. The programme of works ran from the start of July this year and included the replacement of over one and half kilometres of existing underground infrastructure with more modern and efficient cabling.
Along with the installation of new associated equipment, this SSEN upgrade has built a stronger, more reliable electricity network for over 230 customers.
In addition to further improving the resilience of supply, this significant investment in Swindon's electricity network will help to future-proof its infrastructure for the changing demands of its residents and businesses; ultimately helping the town achieve its net-zero ambitions.
While SSEN was able to complete the improvement project a month ahead of its original schedule, the works weren't without some challenges, as SSEN's Project Manager, Martin Crowley explains: "Starting these works as the lockdown was lifted meant that our usual means of communicating with customers by holding engagement events wasn't possible and as SSEN is a considerate constructor, we wanted to ensure customers were kept informed, so we set to work calling every home and business in the vicinity of the works."
"It gave our customers the opportunity to raise any concerns they might have had and enabled our project team to better understand the needs of the community as we carried out the upgrade to boost their power supplies ahead of winter."
"Working in a built-up area, such as this, always requires extra consideration of those who live and work locally, and I'd like to thank the residents and business owners of Eldene and Colingsmead for their patience and understanding while we carried out this essential upgrade to their infrastructure that will boost their supplies for years to come."
SSEN's investment in this section of network will ensure a power supply that suits the needs of residents now and in to the future, helping local communities achieve their net-zero ambitions; so as more customers turn to using electric vehicles, they have a supply and infrastructure that's fit for purpose.
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.