Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), the Distribution Network Operator for central southern England has signed agreements worth over £1 billion with three contract partners to support greater capacity, more connections and increased resilience in the region’s electricity network.
Three UK-headquartered companies, Keltbray Energy Ltd, OCU Services Ltd and The Clancy Group will each carry out upgrade works in three allocated areas within SSEN’s central southern England distribution area, which covers villages, towns, and cities across rural and urban areas from Berkshire and West London to Wiltshire, Oxfordshirem, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
The organisations will be SSEN’s delivery partners for significant network upgrades to electricity infrastructure, which will support the realisation of SSEN’s RIIO-ED2 commitments and help drive delivery of SSE Group’s Net Zero Acceleration Programme Plus (NZAP+) targets.
This is the first time that SSEN Distribution has awarded an agreement of this size and represents approximately one quarter of its overall investment during its RIIO-ED2 business plan.
This new arrangement will allow SSEN to plan work in a more effective and efficient way, completing upgrades, connections and asset replacement at the same time, and ultimately reducing the impact on customers by working on the network as efficiently as possible.
Andy Huthwaite, SSEN Distribution’s Director of Large Capital Delivery, says:
“The signing of these agreements after a fair and competitive tendering process has been the culmination of a huge amount of work and is a significant step in the delivery of our Capital Investment programme, which will see increased resilience and flexibility in our network that will benefit our 3.1 million customers in the south of England. This partnership working will enable SSEN to better manage and reduce supply chain risks and secure the specialist skills of contract partners in an ever more competitive market.
"The drive to net-zero is moving at pace and SSEN Distribution is playing a vital role in building a network that is fit for the future, creating capacity for new connections and helping our customers to meet their own net-zero goals through the low carbon technologies available to them.”
In addition to delivery, the newly appointed contractors will work closely with SSEN Distribution throughout the design and consenting phase of projects to ensure an innovative and collaborative approach is always taken, with customers and communities at its focus.