Croydon electricity grid protected from flood risk

Thousands of homes will benefit from more secure power supplies through a £800,000 flood defence scheme completed by power workers at Croydon Grid.

Engineers at UK Power Networks have installed permanent flood barriers to protect the site in the event of a 1-in-1,000-year flood of the River Wandle, a tributary of the River Thames.

The project has increased the resilience of electricity supplies to approximately 69,000 homes and businesses across the town.

Equipment has either been sealed, raised above estimated flood levels or protected inside flood walls. The flood protection measures cover electrical buildings and four transformers, used to step down voltage to safely deliver power to smaller electricity substations and properties.

Anthony Griffin, Project Manager at UK Power Networks, says: “This investment is part of our flood risk mitigation programme, working with partners to assess and mitigate flood risks across our sites. This project will enhance network resilience for thousands of customers across Croydon to help keep electricity supplies flowing.”

Through the company’s flood mitigation programme and climate adaptation plan 119 substations have been protected from river, tidal and surface water flooding. UK Power Networks has invested £14 million in flood defences since 2010 to keep power flowing for communities.

The Croydon investment is part of £600 million the company will invest this year in its electricity networks. UK Power Networks maintains the network of cables, substations and power supplies that deliver electricity to 8.4 million homes and businesses (a population of about 19 million people) across the South East, London and East of England.