Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has finished a fourteen-month programme of works to upgrade electricity infrastructure in the Netley Common area of Southampton, with the project due to complete in February 20231. The distribution network operator invested £3.9 million in the local electricity infrastructure, which it says will boost power supplies to around 75,000 homes and businesses in Hampshire1.
The works began in the Netley Common area of Southampton in December of last year, according to SSEN's April 2022 announcement, and included the design and rebuild of the two main transformers for the area, along with replacement of associated network equipment1. SSEN said the first transformer was designed and built on site, allowing the first section of the upgraded infrastructure to be energised by the end of summer 20221. The company said the rebuild of all transformers was carried out offline, so customers' power supplies did not need to be interrupted1.
"The location and nature of these works means that most of this upgrade project will be carried out away from residential and business areas, and will therefore have very minimal impact on our local customers."
SSEN said the upgraded network is intended to accommodate the changing needs of customers as they move to more low carbon technologies, and to strengthen the network against adverse weather events and reduce the potential risk of power cuts1. The company 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.
Why it matters for households
The Netley Common works are a local reinforcement of the electricity distribution network, the lower-voltage system that carries power from substations to individual properties. For a household in the affected area, the practical effect is a supply better able to carry higher loads without interruption, and one that SSEN says is more resilient to weather-related faults1.
The stated purpose of the upgrade is to prepare the network for low carbon technologies such as electric vehicles and heat pumps1. Homes adding those technologies draw more power at once than a standard supply was originally designed for, and a strengthened local network reduces the chance that a connection upgrade becomes necessary. Where a household does need a higher-capacity connection, the process runs through the electricity supply upgrade application route rather than the reinforcement works described here.
The transformers and associated equipment sit within the wider transmission and distribution system that determines who owns and operates each part of the network serving a property. Households can check which operator covers their address using the network finder by postcode.
What happens next
SSEN said the Netley Common works are one phase of a series of planned upgrades in the Southampton area, with a further project scheduled for early 2025 that would involve a proposed £3 million investment1. No further detail on the scope of that project has been reported.