£7.3m Guildford Power Upgrade Starts

A £7.3 million investment has started in Guildford to upgrade power supplies for thousands of residents in the area.

UK Power Networks has begun future-proofing a local electricity substation which helps to deliver safe and reliable electricity supplies to almost 19,000 homes and businesses throughout the Surrey town.

At an existing substation in the town centre, specialist electrical engineering teams are to build and equip a new electric switch house; the new equipment will then be connected to the existing network which will distribute electricity through the town.

At the same time, two new larger transformers will be installed and connected to the network. These will play a crucial role when it comes to electricity distribution, stepping down the voltage and safety to deliver power to smaller electricity substations and properties. The transformers will increase the network capacity for Guilford, securing the future growth of the town.

Anthony Griffin, Project Manager at UK Power Networks, said: “This is a major investment in the infrastructure for Guildford. This will help us to continue serving residents with reliable electricity supplies well into the future.

“We are future-proofing the electricity network by modernising the equipment which delivers power to local homes and businesses. There will be automation on the equipment, so that it can be remotely controlled by our engineers, making power supplies even more resilient.”

The work is set to take place within UK Power Networks’ existing substation and is expected to continue until autumn 2022. As the new equipment is energised, the existing equipment will be switched off.

This latest investment in Guildford is part of the company’s £600 million investment this year in its electricity networks. UK Power Networks maintains the network of cables, substations and power lines which supply and deliver electricity to 8.3 million homes and businesses throughout the South East, London and East of England.

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