Works by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) to develop an electricity network fit for the future for 120,000 customers in Portsmouth and Fareham, while enhancing the local environment, have reached a key milestone.
The £7.7 million Fort Widley cable replacement project is marking the completion of the Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) section of the works at the Portsdown Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI); a legally protected site which is renowned for its environmental features, including chalk grassland, invertebrates, and rare plants.
Once completed, this multi-million pound project to replace the existing infrastructure with more modern, efficient and sustainable equipment will enhance the capacity and resilience of the electricity network for 120,000 local homes and businesses in Portsmouth and Fareham.
The design was informed by surveys and assessments for protected species, sensitive habitats, and archaeology, with SSEN obtaining necessary environmental consents from the Environment Agency and Natural England and adapting plans to account for sensitive features and specialist advice.
Dave Jones, Principal Ecologist for SSEN said:
“A significant amount of work has gone into designing and delivering this project in a way that reduces its environmental impact and its success has been made possible through our close collaboration with Portsmouth City Council and Natural England, and through the collective commitment of SSEN’s project team to protect sensitive sites such as Portsdown SSSI.
“This project is a great example of SSEN’s commitment to protecting and enhancing the environment that we work within.”
Additionally, the project has funded habitat enhancement works at Portsdown, which has involved the removal of scrub from the SSSI. Notable for its chalk grassland, the area faces a constant battle against scrub encroachment, which Portsmouth City Council controls through cattle grazing and work by volunteer parties. To assist the council and help protect the site, SSEN provided £10,000 of clearance work to reduce scrub and non-native trees close to the cable project.
Cllr Steve Pitt, Leader of Portsmouth City Council, said:
“The forestry team funded by SSEN was able to clear invasive scrub from hard-to-reach locations that was encroaching on Portsdown's characteristic chalk grassland habitat. This has connected and enlarged the area of chalk grassland and will help to maintain the hill's biodiversity."
Aaron Reed, Senior Project Manager for the project added:
“We are making great progress on this carefully planned project which, once completed, will help unlock a lot of the potential for the electricity network in Portsmouth and the surrounding areas.
“It will significantly enhance the capacity and resilience of our electricity infrastructure, ensuring we are well-prepared for future demand and enabling as many people as possible to adopt the low-carbon technologies that will help them meet their net zero goals.”
Scheduled for completion in 2025, this initiative is a crucial part of Portsmouth’s journey towards achieving its 2030 net zero targets. For more information and to watch the latest video update on the Fort Widley project, visit www.ssen.co.uk/fortwidley