A £360,000 investment is being made by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) to upgrade the electricity infrastructure serving customers in a rural Oxfordshire village.
The works in Sydenham Village will improve and strengthen the network serving the area's two hundred customers and is expected to be completed, on time and on budget, at the end of March 2020.
In addition to undergrounding the main section of overhead cable that runs through the village, SSEN is taking the opportunity to install a new ground-mounted switching station, further boosting the resilience of supply to local homes and businesses.
John Wright is SSEN's Project Manager for the Sydenham Valley project and said:
"SSEN identified Sydenham Village for investment as part of our commitment to build the most resilient power supply for our customers, with upgraded cables and kit that will power the local area for decades to come.
"Network reliability is a key priority for SSEN and the customers its serves; it's part of our commitment to listening to our customers' needs and investing in vital infrastructure in both rural and urban areas.
He continued: "As a considerate constructor, we understand the importance of minimising disruption during works and enabling the provision of a safe and reliable supply of electricity to the village, and I'd like to thank all of our customers in Sydenham Village for their patience while we work to complete this upgrade."
While there are no planned outages for the remainder of this upgrade project, SSEN encourages its customers who could benefit from its additional services, such as the Priority Services Register to sign up.
SSEN's Priority Services Register provides free additional support for customers who may become vulnerable during a power cut. Customers can qualify 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
By registering for SSEN's PSR, customers will be proactively contacted to warn them of potential bad weather to help them prepare and to offer extra support where required. SSEN's teams will also keep in close and regular contact with its PSR customers during network outages to check they are getting the help they need.
To find out more about the PSR, click here, or call 0800 294 3259. For more information on all the support available from SSEN, and for helpful advice on preparing for and dealing with a power cut, please visit our website.