A £1.3 million programme of works by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) to support a reliable and resilient power supply for over 17,000 customers in Alton has now completed after being temporarily delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.
The project was carried out in two phases, with the first section of the works to upgrade and replace the underground network serving the town having completed in November 2019, and the second set to get underway in spring 2020.
However, due to the coronavirus pandemic SSEN took the decision to delay the £1.3m works to ensure they could be undertaken safely and in adherence to government guidelines. The project restarted on 24 July 2020 and involved underground cabling of two kilometres in Turk Street through to both the High Street and Market Street.
Despite the delays, SSEN was able to complete the project to budget and the upgraded infrastructure will support a resilient and secure power supply for Alton's homes and businesses.
SSEN's Project Manager, Richard Clark said:
"Throughout the first phase of the project, SSEN worked closely with stakeholders and the local authority to ensure the safest and least disruptive way of working. The underground cables run through the centre of the town, so when the time came to enter the second phase of the works we had to carefully decide how to progress.
With restrictions in place to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, it became apparent that social distancing and safety measures in some of the areas would have created some difficulty in safe access for pedestrians. While it was disappointing to have to temporarily halt the works, the safety of our customers and colleagues came first."
He added:
"Under new ways of working with enhanced safety procedures, our team were able to get back on track later in 2020 and I'm delighted that we've now completed these works. Despite the delay in schedule, I'm proud that we are supporting Alton's homes and businesses with a resilient electricity infrastructure as they look to progress their net zero goals and take up low carbon technologies, such as electric vehicles.
"On behalf of my team, I'd like to thank our customers in Alton for the patience and understanding they have shown during these works, and for appreciating that we had their safety at heart throughout the planning and progress of this project."
Network reliability is a key priority for SSEN and the customers it serves. Following a series of engagements with its customers SSEN took the decision to make this considerable investment in Alton to further improve network resilience, and future-proof its infrastructure for customer's changing demands.
SSEN's investment in this thriving Hampshire market town ensures a power supply and infrastructure fit for the future, by upgrading an important section of the local network to help communities achieve their decarbonisation ambitions.