Homes and businesses in theRuthriestonarea of Aberdeen arenowbenefitting fromthe completion ofa �1.3mprojectby SSEN Distribution,which has madethe local electricity network more robust,resilient and less susceptible to power cutsfor around 7,500 customers.

The project, which is part of a wider �10m networkinvestmentacross Aberdeenby SSEN,has seen a major upgrade of theRuthriestonsubstation in the south side of the city, withteams replacingboth primarytransformersas well as the switchgear, safety equipment, network protection kit,telecoms and all the associatedcivil works.

The primary transformers are used to convert the voltage of electricity received from the grid so that it is suitable for use in our homes and businesses, and the two new arrivals atRuthriestonwere literally the biggest phase of the overall project, as their combined size is comparable to a double-decker bus.

Another one ofRuthrieston'ssignificant upgrades is the installation of new automated switchgear, which is used to turn the power on and off at various points across the local network, be that in the rare event of a fault or to allow maintenance to be carried out safely.

The new switchgearisconstantly monitoringthe local electricity infrastructure, providing a 24/7 real-time overview of the network to staff at SSEN's main control room.

If a fault develops which causesthe power to go off, the new technologycanautomaticallyisolatethe sectionof networkwhere the fault isandswitchthe power back onforthe remainingpropertiesif safe to do so,often in a matter of minutes. Thisnewswitchgearsignificantly reducesthe duration of a power cut for customersas prior to this, a member of the local team would have needed to go to the substation and manually turn the power back on.

Stephen Flynn, MP for Aberdeen South, has welcomed news of the project's completion:

"This past year has shown us all the importance ofa safe, secure and reliable power supply and so I welcome this upgrade to the Ruthrieston network by SSEN Distribution, which forms part of their wider �10m investment across the city. The work that's been completed and the new technology that has been installed will help to strengthen supplies, making a positive impact in the local communities as we emerge from lockdown and look to the future."

Michael Hilferty, SSEN's Head of Region, explains more about how the completion of this �1.3m project will make a positive impact in the local community:

"We want to provide our customers with a safe, reliable and resilient network, and every part of this investment has been assessed to ensure that it helps us deliver on these aims � from replacing the transformers which were approaching the end of their scheduled working lives to ensure reliability for many years to come, to upgrading the switchgear which can automatically restore supplies in the rare event of a power cut, everything we have done will ensure that the homes and businesses inRuthriestoncontinue to receive the best possible level of service.

"WithRuthriestonbeing such a built-up area, there were occasions when we had to utilise the whole width of the local roadsor make use of local car parks when we were receiving someofour larger deliveries. On behalf of everyone involved in the project, I'd like to thank the local community for their patience and understanding as we carried out this essential work."

The image on the front page shows the new switchgear in place at Ruthrieston and above you can see one of the new transformers.