Investment is underway on a £7.3 million project to upgrade power supplies for thousands of residents in Guildford.
UK Power Networks is future-proofing a local electricity substation that helps deliver safe and reliable electricity supplies to nearly 19,000 homes and businesses across the Surrey town.
At an existing substation in the town centre specialist electrical engineering teams will build and equip a new electrical switch-house. The new equipment will then be connected to the existing network, which distributes electricity throughout the town.
At the same time, two new large pieces of electrical equipment, known as transformers, will be installed and connected to the network. These play a crucial role in electricity distribution, stepping down voltage and safely delivering power to smaller electricity substations and properties. These transformers will increase the network capacity for Guilford, securing the future growth of the town.
Anthony Griffin, project manager at UK Power Networks, says: “This is a major investment in the infrastructure for Guildford. This will help us to continue serving residents with reliable electricity supplies well into the future.
“We are future-proofing the electricity network by modernising the equipment which delivers power to local homes and businesses. There will be automation on the equipment, so that it can be remotely controlled by our engineers, making power supplies even more resilient.”
The work will take place within UK Power Networks’ existing substation and is due to continue until next autumn. As the new equipment is energised, the existing equipment will be switched off, having been well maintained and served the residents of Guildford for many years.
The investment in Guildford is part of £600 million the company will invest this year in its electricity networks. UK Power Networks maintains the network of cables, substations and power lines that deliver electricity to 8.3 million homes and businesses (a population of about 18 million people) across the South East, London and East of England.
