Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) announced on 8 April 2022 that it had completed a £1.7 million upgrade to part of Portsmouth's electricity infrastructure1. Work on the project began in November 2020 and ran for about 18 months1.
The programme covered the section of network supplying thousands of customers from the Fort Widley substation. SSEN said it replaced grid transformers and equipment, redeveloped the network and feed to both the Wymering and Portsmouth substations, and replaced equipment nearing the end of its working life with more modern and efficient kit1. The company said the work followed a programme carried out on a connected section of Portsmouth's power infrastructure some years earlier1.
SSEN's project manager, Ben Wollaston, said:
"My team and I would like to thank our customers in Wymering and Portsea Island for their patience while we carried out these works over the last 18 months."
SSEN describes itself as the electricity Distribution Network Operator responsible for delivering power to over 3.8 million homes and businesses across central southern England and the north of Scotland1. The company said the upgrade was intended to build resilience into the local network and to accommodate customers taking up low carbon technologies such as electric vehicles and heat pumps1. No figures were given for the number of customers affected, the capacity added or the change in fault rates, and none has been reported1.
Why it matters for households
The equipment involved sits on the electricity distribution network, the lower-voltage layer that carries power from substations to individual properties, rather than the high-voltage transmission network that moves bulk power around the country. For a household, the practical effect of this kind of work is on the reliability and capacity of the local supply rather than on price or on who bills the customer.
SSEN's stated aim links the upgrade to low carbon technologies. A home adding an electric vehicle charge point or a heat pump draws more power through the same connection, and the local transformers and cabling are what determine whether that demand can be met without reinforcement. SSEN said the replacement equipment would provide "the network they need to meet their requirements now and for many years to come"1. The announcement does not say whether any individual property's connection capacity has changed, and no change to connection terms or charges is reported1.
Householders in the area who want to know which network serves their address can check the operator by postcode, and those planning a larger load such as a heat pump or charge point can find the process set out under applying for an electricity supply upgrade. SSEN's licence area covers central southern England and the north of Scotland; the network arrangements in Northern Ireland and in Scotland differ1.
What happens next
No further works, dates or follow-on projects in Portsmouth are set out in the announcement1. SSEN describes the project as part of its ongoing plans to reinforce and upgrade the local network, but gives no schedule for what comes next1.