The historic market town of Wareham is benefiting from a substantial investment by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) to upgrade the local infrastructure, boosting the resilience of the area's power supply ahead of the winter months and for years to come.
A £350,000 investment programme by SSEN to build a stronger network for homes and businesses in the Dorset town has now been completed on time and on budget, and will future-proof the supply to over 8,000 local customers.
The works in Wareham centred around the replacement of some of the town's overhead lines and poles, with new transformers and conductors that will help the network stand up to adverse weather and addressed the needs of the local residents and businesses as the UK moves towards its net-zero ambitions.
SSEN's Project Planner, John O'Reilly explains more:
"As well as building a safe and reliable electricity network for Wareham to enhance the resilience of supply over the winter months, SSEN is looking to the future for this historic town and what its needs will look like over the coming years."
"As more of our customers turn to using electric vehicles, SSEN needs to ensure they have a supply and infrastructure that's fit for purpose now and fit for the future, as it adapts to differing needs."
"These upgrade works in Wareham are part of SSEN's ongoing network investment programme that will ultimately help Dorset achieve its net-zero ambitions, and is part of our commitment to taking a "you said, we did" approach to investing in our vital infrastructure."
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.