A substantial investment by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) to boost the resilience and flexibility of an essential section of its west Dorset infrastructure is now under way.
The distribution operator has started its £1.7 million programme of works that will increase the capacity and strength of power supplies to some 10,350 local customers in the historic town of Sherborne. The upgrade project, which will run until September 2023, is part of SSEN’s ongoing commitment to improve network flexibility and resilience for homes and businesses across central southern England.
During the nine-month long programme of works, SSEN engineers will focus the upgrade on the Sherborne Primary Substation; replacing vital components including transformers, switchgear and circuit breakers.
The nature of these works means some sections will require weekend and school holiday working schedules to ensure the safety of engineers, pedestrians and road users, while minimising traffic disruption.
SSEN’s Project Manager, Aaron Reed said:
“My team and I are delighted to be working on this important network upgrade that will benefit the residents and businesses in this beautiful west Dorset town. SSEN’s investment in the local infrastructure will ensure a power supply fit for customers’ needs now and as they move to more low carbon technologies, such as electric vehicles, heat pumps and solar panels, as well as building resilience to cope with extreme weather events. As a considerate constructor, SSEN has been in discussion with local agencies to ensure that works are carried out in a manner that causes the least disruption and that will mean some works will only be carried out during weekends or school holidays. While this lengthens the duration of the project, it’s important to us that we take local requirements in to consideration and accommodate them.”
Measures are in place throughout the works to reduce the potential for noise disruption and any temporary traffic restrictions will be authorised by the local authority, with any customers in the vicinity of works being notified well in advance.
While SSEN has no planned supply interruptions for the duration of this programme of works, severe weather events can still bring the potential for unplanned power cuts. Anyone who has concerns about vulnerability during power cuts is reminded of SSEN’s Priority Services Register.
Customers are eligible for SSEN's free Priority Services Register (PSR) 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
- Temporarily need extra support
To find out more about the PSR, click here or call 0800 294 3259. Additionally, you can access further information on power cuts and how SSEN can assist you during this time, by going to: Power cuts & safety - SSEN.
As the distribution operator for central southern England, SSEN invests over £150 million a year in building resilience across its network, through upgrading and reinforcing the electricity infrastructure. This includes around £20 million a year on regular tree cutting and maintenance, over £12 million targeted for refurbishing overhead lines and over £2 million to install Automated Devices on parts of the network to enable the faster restoration of customer supplies in the event of a fault.