Utility Week takes a look at some of the work happening around the sector in our weekly project roundup, including a multi-million pound upgrade to the Scottish network.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN)
SSEN has announced a £5 million investment programme across its network in Moray over the next 18 months.
The work will involve installing “innovative” equipment to restore supplies quicker in the event of a power cut.
Work includes the upgrade of a local substation in Elgin and by the end of the year SSEN will replace equipment at Ashgrove substation, installing flood prevention equipment to protect local power supplies should heavy rainfall and flooding occur.
Switchgear and transformers will be replaced in Macduff, near the Moray coast.
Teams will move to Aberlour, Dufftown and Lossiemouth in 2020, replacing essential electrical equipment at local substations and upgrading overhead power lines serving Elgin and Aberlour to improve the reliability of power supplies, reinforcing the high voltage network powering local communities.
As part of this investment programme, more than £600,000 will be spent installing automated equipment in 10 locations across Moray to “significantly reduce” disruption to customers during a power cut.
The self-adapting automation system detects when, and where, there is a fault on the network, choosing the most suitable alternative cable to switch supplies to or sending a signal to the main control room where engineers can restore power at the touch of a button.
UK Power Networks (UKPN)
UK Power Networks has replaced more than 3km of 11,000-volt overhead power lines with 3.8km of underground cables as part of a £425,000 project in Suffolk.
UKPN says the new underground cables are better to withstand winter storms for the 40 households taking power from this section of the network.
The scheme was funded by a special allowance from electricity regulator Ofgem, to improve the landscape in areas of outstanding natural beauty and national parks.
Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult
The Tidal Stream Industry Energiser Project (TIGER) has been approved.
The inter-nation project will enable up to 8MW of tidal capacity installed between the UK and France.
Simon Cheeseman, sector lead for wave and tidal energy at Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, which is coordinating the project, told Utility Week the initial phase of the project involves 2.8MW of turbines installed at five sites with the potential to deploy a further 5MW.
The UK sites are at Ramsey Sound in Pembrokeshire, on the site of a previous turbine and Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight, which will host two small installations. In France the installations will be at Paimpol–Bréhat in Brittany, Le Raz Blanchard off the coast of Normandy and Morbihan in Brittany.
The project is due to be completed by March 2023 with turbines expected to be installed at the five sites from 2020.