Residents and business owners in a Hampshire market town will benefit from improvement works being carried out by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) to their local electricity infrastructure.

Over £150,000 is being invested by SSEN in the Park Gate area of Fareham to relocate a substation from the rear of properties in Beacon Way to the section of land next to the junction at Beacon Bottom. The new location of the vital electrical equipment will provide easier access for SSEN's engineers and subsequently less disruption to those living and working nearby.

Potential access issues had been identified during one of SSEN's regular maintenance inspections and as the equipment was reaching the end of its operation life, the decision was taken to carry out these works at the earliest opportunity; an investment that will help customers in the surrounding area while providing them with a more robust and resilient power supply.

The project will commence on Monday 16 March and will take six weeks to complete. While no traffic management systems are required to be in place to enable the upgrade project, some residents in the immediate vicinity may wish to access the area through an alternative route.

SSEN's Project Lead, Grant Howlett explains further:

"From the outset, these works have been focused on minimising disruption to residents and business owners in and around Beacon Way, which has ultimately resulted in SSEN's decision to build a new substation in a more suitable location for the long-term benefit of the local area.

"We've carefully considered the least disruptive way to carry out these essential works and have avoided road closures. These works are just one part of a broader multi-million pound investment programme in Hampshire to support network resilience."

Network reliability is a key priority for SSEN and the customers it serves. Following a series of discussions, SSEN took the decision to make this investment in Park Gate to further improve network resilience, minimise inconvenience to local residents and future-proof its infrastructure for customer's changing demands. This is part of SSEN's commitment to taking a "you said, we did" approach to investing in its vital infrastructure.

While SSEN does not anticipate any interruptions to the power supply during these works, it is aware that people can feel vulnerable when their electricity goes off, especially during severe weather and customers can join the 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 webpage.