A major project to upgrade the electricity network on the Island of Islay is set to get underway next month.
The £10m scheme delivered by SSEN Distribution, as part of SSE plc, will support the island’s electricity infrastructure, making it more resilient and less susceptible to power cuts, and install new technology to help restore supplies quicker.
As part of the project SSEN teams and specialist contractors will build nearly 30km of overhead line, lay 6km of underground cable and install a raft of new technology at the island’s substations, to boost reliability.
SSEN is also upgrading technology at its substations at Bowmore, Port Askaig and Knocklearoch, which will offer engineers more options to re-route supplies when working to get the power back on following a power-cut.
SSEN’s main contractor for the overhead line work, Keltbray, is currently setting up site on the island at Ballygrant Quarry and taking deliveries of materials ahead of construction beginning in earnest mid-April. Work on the substations is due to begin in May, with the whole project due to last 12 months.
Barry MacTaggart is SSEN’s Project Manager, said:
“The work we’re going to be carrying out over the next 12 months is all about improving the reliability of power supplies for the homes and businesses on Islay.
"Working on key areas of our outdoor infrastructure will ensure that the equipment is as strong as possible to withstand the challenges of a typical Islay winter, and the new equipment we’re putting into our substations will provide our engineers with more options when they need to restore supplies on the rare occasions the power goes off."
Barry MacTaggart, SSEN’s Project Manager
The project gets underway as another multi-million pound programme of works to boost the resilience of the network in Dorchester in SSEN’s patch in the south of England has been completed.
The distribution operator began the £2.5 million upgrade to the town’s network in May 2020. It included the replacement and installation of new transformers and switchboard, boosting the resilience and strength of the power supply for over 12,000 customers supplied by the Dorchester Primary Substation.
The schemes are both part of SSE’s £12.5bn Net Zero Acceleration Programme which will see £12.5bn invested in the five years to 2026, or £7m every day.