THE final phase of a multi-million-pound investment in Winchester’s electricity infrastructure has been completed, which is expected to meet the needs of residents for years to come.

In the past two and a half years, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks’ (SSEN) has invested over £3.3 million on a series of upgrades to the city’s network.

This substantial programme of works has been carried out to accommodate the changing demands of local homes and businesses as the city itself develops, and more of those living and working in the area take up low carbon technologies, such as electric vehicles.

This last stage of Winchester’s infrastructure project, costing £2 million and running for nine months, enabled the upgrade of 2.5 kilometres of underground network with new sections of modern, robust cable replacing the existing equipment, which was nearing the end of its working life.

Building on SSEN’s previous upgrades in Winchester, this network boost for the city’s 11,000 customers allows for further commercial and residential connections, while future-proofing critical infrastructure and supporting the wider decarbonisation ambitions of Hampshire.

Miles Crossley, SSEN project manager said: “I’m delighted that my team and I have completed this project; the final stage in a series of investments to boost the power supplies of this beautiful city and to help its residents and businesses to meet their net zero goals through a modern and efficient electricity network.

“The coronavirus pandemic delayed the start of these works, as we took the decision to put customer and colleague safety first, and to work to a new schedule when circumstances allowed.

“Our customers are at the heart of all we do and I’d like to thank Winchester’s residents and business owners for their patience and understanding while we worked to build them a power supply fit for the future and all of their network needs.”

Dr Paul Spencer, executive director of Winchester Business Improvement District (BID) added: “We are very pleased that the final phase of the Winchester electricity network upgrade has now been completed.

“This investment from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks will improve the resilience and longevity of the network for businesses in the city centre.”