Work has begun on a £3.4 million project to upgrade part of Cumbria’s power network.
Electricity North West has started work on the 12-month scheme from Carlisle to Morton Park, which will help improve reliability as demand increases to more than 11,000 properties in the city and surrounding areas.
Teams of engineers will install 8km of new 33,000 volt underground electricity cables. Once completed, they will then remove the current overhead power network, which spans 14km.
George Manton, who is overseeing the project for Electricity North West, said: “This is a huge project for the city of Carlisle and the surrounding areas.
“The work, part of our annual investment programme, is very complex, the new underground cables will replace ageing overhead lines and will provide a secure supply a generation.
“We have been working with a team of specialist delivery partners and following months of planning and initial trial hole works taking place last year, we’re now delighted to get going and once the work is complete it will have major long-term benefits for the people of the city and its surrounding areas.”
Work on the project is expected to last 12 months and while engineers are carrying out work in the roads, temporary traffic lights will be used for safety reasons when working on sections in the public highway.
Mr Manton added: “This is a major project for Carlisle, unfortunately this work will cause some disruption, but we’ll keep it to a minimum and I thank everybody for their cooperation, patience and support.
“The work we’re now carrying out is essential because as the country moves away from traditional fossil fuels for things like heating and transport everyone will be using more electricity for electric heat pumps and electric vehicles.
“That’s why it’s important we provide more capacity on the power network to meet the growing demand, so customers are in a position to adopt low carbon technologies.”
