The cables, spanning almost eight kilometres from the distributor’s Stella North substation in Lemington to its Barrack Road substation in Newcastle city centre, will improve the underground cabling network which has been in place since the 1960s.
Northern Powergrid’s project engineer, Ian Forster, said: “This major £10m investment we’re making in Newcastle’s power network will benefit our customers and the city for decades to come.
“We have worked with the local authority to ensure that planning for this project meets their requirements.”
Forster acknowledged however, that “as with any construction, there is potential for localised disruption to traffic in the immediate areas where we are working as we progress along the cable route”. He added that Northern Powergrid will “be making every effort to minimise the impact for local people.”
The work to lay the cables will be undertaken by Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions and will start next week and conclude in autumn 2017.