Back to overview

SSEN’s £10.6m investment to boost Bordon and Alton power supplies

04 Apr 2023

As part of SSE's Net Zero Acceleration Programme, over 30,000 East Hampshire homes and businesses are to benefit from a multi-million project by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), part of SSE plc, that will ensure a more robust and flexible electricity infrastructure to meet their needs now and for many years to come.

The £10.6 million programme of works to upgrade the network for customers in Alton and Bordon will commence on 1 May 2023 and will run until September 2024; future-proofing and strengthening the area’s power supplies to cope with severe weather events and to accommodate greater uptake of low carbon technologies, such as electric vehicles, solar panels and heat pumps as customers look to meet their net zero goals.

In addition to building a new substation in Bordon and upgrading substation connections, the distribution operator will replace 18 kilometres of existing underground power cables and associated infrastructure with more modern, sustainable and efficient equipment that will keep the power flowing for those living and working in these thriving and developing towns.

Two community events will be held ahead of the works to enable local householders, business owners and stakeholders to meet the SSEN team and find out more about the investment works. These events will be held on:

  • Wednesday 19 April - 3pm to 7pm in the Meeting Room of the Alton Community Centre, Amery Street, Alton, GU34 1HN
  • Saturday 22 April - 10am to 3pm at The Shed, Sergeants Yard, Bordon, GU35 0DJ

This latest phase of network improvements by SSEN follows the £400,000 preparatory works successfully completed in Bordon in November of last year and will begin from the Alton substation, where they will proceed to Oakhanger Road and then across to the new Bordon substation in the eastern outskirts of the town.

"My team and I are delighted to now be progressing this £10.6 million project after completing the first phase of preparatory works late last year. As a considerate constructor, we have been working closely with stakeholders and local partners to ensure that we can carry out and complete this upgrade with the least inconvenience to customers living and working nearby."

Anthony Horne, SSEN Project Manager

Anthony added:

“This is a substantial programme of works and, as such, some traffic management systems will have to be in place at certain points of the works. I’d like to reassure our customers that these measures have been carefully planned with both Highways England the Hampshire County Council to ensure that the potential for noise or disruption have been minimised.

“In addition to community events to discuss the project and enable local residents, business owners and interested parties to meet the team and ask any questions, SSEN has set up a project page to give full information on the works as they progress.

“The online page will provide updates, along with easy-to-access points of contact and can be found at www.ssen.co.uk/alton-bordon-network-investment.”

There are no planned power interruptions scheduled to take place during the works, but anyone who has concerns about vulnerability during power cuts is reminded of SSEN’s Priority Services Register.

Customers are eligible for SSEN's free Priority Services Register (PSR) if they:

  • Are deaf or hard of hearing
  • Have a disability
  • Live with children under five
  • Are blind or partially sighted
  • Have a chronic illness
  • Use medical equipment/aids reliant on electricity
  • Are over 60
  • Temporarily need extra support

To find out more about the PSR, click here or call 0800 294 3259.

As the distribution operator for central southern England, SSEN invests over £150 million a year in building resilience across its network, through upgrading and reinforcing the electricity infrastructure. This includes around £20 million a year on regular tree cutting and maintenance, over £12 million targeted for refurbishing overhead lines and over £2 million to install Automated Devices on parts of the network to enable the faster restoration of customer supplies in the event of a fault.