SSEN Distribution reported on 26 August 2022 that its £14.2m upgrade of the electricity network between Aultbea and Ullapool is progressing, with 200 new poles and 13km of overhead lines now installed between Slattadale and Ullapool1. The company said part of the new line is due to be energised in the coming weeks, after which the existing line will be dismantled1.
The project began at the start of 2022 and is due to be completed in March 20231. Work has also started on a new switching station at Morefield in Ullapool, which SSEN describes as a key part of the project because it will house the circuit-breakers that allow engineers to re-route supplies to different parts of the network in the rare event of a fault, getting power back on more quickly1. Teams are also preparing the local substation for a new transformer, due to arrive towards the end of September1.
SSEN says the work will strengthen existing supplies and increase the overall capacity of the network, which it describes as vital to support the increasing uptake in home-based EV chargers and heat pumps1. The company states it is 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. Households in the affected area can check which network operator covers them using our guide to who their distribution network operator is.
John Shanks, SSEN's Project Manager, said:
"Since we started in the spring our teams have been working hard in a whole variety of different weather conditions - with rain, wind and snow at the earlier parts of the project - all of these conditions bring their own set of challenges, and I'm pleased to say that with everyone's hard work we're still on schedule to complete the project next March."
| Item | Status reported 26 August 2022 |
|---|---|
| New poles and overhead lines, Slattadale to Ullapool | 200 poles and 13km installed |
| Morefield switching station, Ullapool | Work started |
| Local substation transformer | Preparations under way; arrival expected end of September |
| Project completion | March 2023 |
Why it matters for households
The upgrade is aimed at increasing the capacity of the local network as well as strengthening existing supplies1. For a household, network capacity is one of the limits on what can be connected at a property, so reinforcement of this kind is relevant to homes considering high-demand equipment such as EV chargers and heat pumps, which SSEN names as a driver of the work1. The switching station is intended to reduce the time taken to restore supplies after a fault by allowing engineers to re-route power to different parts of the network1. SSEN's wider role, including how it handles supply interruptions and priority services, is set out in our guide to SSEN as a network operator, and the general structure of distribution networks is covered in our national supply section. Safety around the new and existing overhead lines is covered in our guide to precautions near overhead power lines.
What happens next
SSEN says part of the new overhead line between Slattadale and Ullapool is due to be energised in the coming weeks, after which the existing line will be dismantled1. The new transformer is expected at the local substation towards the end of September1. The project remains on schedule for completion in March 20231. No date has been reported for when the Morefield switching station will be commissioned.