A multi-million pound project by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) to boost the resilience and strength of the power supply for residents and business owners in a busy Dorset town has reached a major milestone.
In May of last year, SSEN began a £2.5 million programme of works in the historic market town of Dorchester to upgrade the infrastructure supplying the area’s 12,000 customers. The replacement of the existing Dorchester Primary Substation – with a more efficient reconfigured substation and new associated equipment – will provide local homes and businesses with a resilient and secure power supply fit for the thriving town and SSEN’s customers as they move to net zero.
The project team will now install and connect the new transformers and switchboard to the rebuilt substation on the upgraded Trinity Street site; a key milestone in the programme of works to build a more robust infrastructure for the needs of local customers, now and for many years to come.
SSEN’s Project Manager for the Dorchester project, Tim Eccleston said: “Firstly, I’d like to thank our customers in the vicinity of these works for the patience and understanding they have shown our team, as we work to safely upgrade their electricity network.
“Throughout these works we have done all we can to minimise noise and disruption for those living and working near our site and we’re now reaching a critical phase of the project, which will require us to close Trinity Street for a short period on Sunday 28 March between 06:00 and 13:00. Diversions will be in a place for this short time to enable us to place the transformers and switch gear on site; key elements of this upgrade to future-proof Dorchester’s power supplies.”
There are no Planned Service Interruptions (PSI) during this time and SSEN would like to reassure its customers that it is working to strict Government guidelines on social distancing and the use of enhanced Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) as it carries out this upgrade programme, with thorough safety checks in advance of any work.
SSEN’s investment in Dorchester will ensure a power supply that suits the needs of residents and businesses now and in to the future by upgrading a critical section of Dorset’s electricity network to help local communities achieve their decarbonisation ambitions; so as more customers turn to low carbon technologies such as electric vehicles, they have a supply and infrastructure that’s fit for purpose.
