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Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has reached a significant milestone in its £8 million project to enhance the power supply for thousands of homes and businesses in Southampton.
The design and build phase of the first transformer has been successfully completed just four months into the project. This enables the initial section of the upgraded North Baddesley infrastructure to be energized shortly.
SSEN's project, executed in partnership with the Freedom Group of Companies Ltd, will benefit 7,500 homes and businesses by increasing the resilience of connections and expanding capacity. The works are being carried out in stages over the next fourteen months, including the design and rebuild of another transformer. Additionally, five kilometers of overhead lines between North Baddesley and Rownham will be buried underground.
Upon completion, the project will strengthen the network against adverse weather conditions, reduce the risk of power outages, and expand capacity, facilitating the integration of more low-carbon technologies. This aligns with SSEN's commitment to supporting the transition to net zero.
Lewis Stimpson, SSEN's Senior Project Manager for the works said: "This project for our customers in Southampton's North Baddesley area is delivering a network that'll be more resilient to adverse weather and fit for the adoption of low-carbon technologies such as heat pumps, solar panels and electric vehicles.
"Our decision to reroute a significant stretch of overhead lines underground will improve the landscape and visual amenity for the local community, by removing a considerable amount of visible infrastructure."
Due to be completed in June 2025, the works are just one phase of a series of planned upgrades by SSEN in the Southampton area. A further investment of over £60m in the region will get underway early next year and will deliver further network improvements. This ongoing investment ensures customers' power supplies will be ready to meet the growing demands from homes and businesses, as more customers turn to low carbon technologies, such as EVs and heat pumps.
