SP Energy Networks has announced the successful completion of a major network refurbishment project in East Lothian and the Borders to improve resilience of electricity supply and drive the area towards a greener future.

The £45m project covered a distance of over 40 miles between Cockenzie in East Lothian and the village of Eccles in the Scottish Borders and forms part of a wider £2 billion investment plan to futureproof the transmission network across Central and Southern Scotland over a five year period.

The 400kV route, known as the 'ZA overhead line' was first erected in the mid-1960s and plays a substantial role in supplying renewable energy to around 150,000 homes and businesses in the area.

Investment in the line now helps to further increase network resilience and ensures that it continues to play an important role in years to come to support the uptake of green technologies like electric vehicles and heat pumps as we help lead the way towards Net Zero emissions targets.

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Pearse Murray, our SP Transmission Director, said: "This project forms part of our extensive investment programme, and highlights the unique role we play in connecting renewable generation. Our transmission system is a key enabler for ensuring security of supplies throughout the energy transition, so maintaining resilience of that is absolutely critical.

"This refurbishment is a significant milestone which will help increase network capacity for many homes and businesses across the region and it further underlines our commitment to investing in and enhancing our infrastructure to help meet Net Zero emissions targets.

"I'd like to thank the local landowners and communities for their continued cooperation throughout the project to ensure that it could progress with minimal impact on the surrounding areas."

The project commenced in November 2020 and involved the inspection and refurbishment of around 190 towers, with over 788km of conductors and insulators replaced.

The project team worked closely with local landowners and authorities to ensure disruption to the surrounding environment and community was kept to a minimum throughout the duration of the project.