Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for the electricity network that powers everyday life for 8 million people across 3.9 million homes and businesses in the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire in England, is about to start a £1 million investment program to improve the reliability and resilience of the electricity network serving Scarborough.
Starting on Aug. 24, 2020, and running until the end of 2021, the work will focus on replacing 7 km of high-voltage underground electricity cables dating back to the 1960s with a more modern and sustainable alternative. This new cabling will be capable of meeting any future increase in the demand for power as the town develops, the population grows and more people swap their cars for electric vehicles.
The work, which is being carried out by O’Connor Utilities and Murphy Utilities on Northern Powergrid’s behalf, will involve excavating in the roadway in a number of locations to the south side of the town center.
Northern Powergrid has worked closely with North Yorkshire County Council to agree the best routes and times for the work to take place.
Work scheduled to take place during August and September is as follows, with the schedule for October onward due to be confirmed in the coming weeks:
There are no plans to turn off anyone’s power and it is unlikely that access to premises will be required. Pedestrian access will be maintained at all times and Northern Powergrid will ensure that any businesses affected can make arrangements to continue to receive their deliveries.
Northern Powergrid is committed to keeping local people informed and will be writing to anyone directly impacted before work starts along each section of the route.
For anyone who wants to find out more, the Northern Powergrid team will also be available for socially distanced meetings in the car park of Tesco supermarket on Westwood from 15:00 to 19:00 on Friday, Aug. 24. People should look out for the Northern Powergrid branded customer service vehicle.
Mike Hammond, Northern Powergrid’s general manager for the North Yorkshire region, said: “We’re always very aware of the potential impact of our work on people’s everyday lives, which is why we’re doing all we can to support and communicate with local people while we carry out this important investment in Scarborough’s electricity distribution network.
“We’ll be issuing information to all affected customers to explain what we’ll be doing and when. Our letters will also provide details of our free Priority Services Register, which offers extra support to customers who may be more vulnerable.”
“While we progress with our work in Scarborough, we’ll be following latest Public Health and Government advice to keep our employees, contractors and customers safe and our work will be carried out in line with the latest COVID-19 health and safety guidance. With this in mind, we’re asking customers not to approach our teams if they see them working unless it’s an electricity emergency – and, if they do, to always maintain social distancing.”
