Plans for a £250,000 project to upgrade Inverurie’s town centre electricity network have been revealed.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) will replace just under a mile of underground cable.
The works will take place over a seven week period and improve electricity supplies for around 1,800 properties.
A higher “load capacity” in the new cable will mean more reliable connection for a higher volume of demand.
The project aims to contribute to the area’s commitment to move towards net zero.
Even with higher demand, new low carbon technologies such as EV chargers and heat pumps should help with this.
‘Powering the drive to net zero’
Michael Hilferty, head of SSEN’s North Caledonia region, said: “The coming years will see a transformation in the way we use electricity, with more EV chargers and heat pumps becoming a feature in people’s homes, and more customers looking to connect their properties to our network.
“With projects such as this one here in Inverurie, we’re making sure that our infrastructure is an enabler for our customers’ ambitions and powering the drive to net zero.”
New cables will replace the old ones in two stages, starting first with Station Road to Beverley Road, and then working on Westfield Gardens to Davah Court.
Cables will be laid in small sections to make sure that long stretches of road do not need to be closed.
SSEN have worked closely with Aberdeenshire Council to ensure minimal disruption to the local community throughout the works.
September has been chosen to avoid disruption during the busy summer season.
SSEN’s project manager, Jack Graham, said: “This work is essential to ensure that we’re able to keep on delivering a safe, reliable and responsive network for our customers, but we’re also sensitive to the fact that the project needs to be completed with the minimum amount of inconvenience.
“After discussions with the local council, we have agreed to carry out the work in September to avoid any impact during the busy summer season, and we are also installing the cable in 100m sections, which will minimise the length of road we need to close at any one time for the work to be done safely.”