City of London residents to benefit from £24 million power scheme

Almost 10,000 customers from Farringdon, Clerkenwell and key buildings in City of London are to benefit from a multi-million pound investment to upgrade the electricity network.

Work is currently underway to install the first of three new transformers – a device which steps down the power voltage so electricity can be safely delivered to local properties. The transformer, along with new switchgear equipment, will be installed at UK Power Networks’ substation to meet greater energy demand in the area.

The £24 million project started in October 2021 and is due to finish in early 2026. As part of the scheme, the firm has consulted local councils and other interested parties to ensure that people experience as little disruption as possible while the work takes place.

Euan MacRae, Project Manager at UK Power Networks, says: “This substation upgrade is part of our ongoing investment in the network to maintain safe and reliable power supplies and future-proof the network. The City of London is home to some of the capital’s most iconic buildings, so in collaboration with our alliance partner The Clancy Group this project is committed to carrying out a staged replacement of the major electricity assets at Back Hill Substation, some of which date back to 1956 and have been well maintained over the years.

“We are excited to be installing innovative equipment which will allow the substation to provide double the previous level of power and will improve the resilience of power supplies across the network in London.”

UK Power Networks is constantly working to improve the performance of its network and to meet future needs for power. This project is part of the company’s £600 million investment in its electricity networks this year, and it will help local communities achieve their decarbonisation ambitions; so as more customers turn to low carbon technologies such as electric vehicles, they have a supply and infrastructure that’s fit for purpose.

The UK’s largest electricity distributor delivers electricity to 2.4 million homes and businesses across London where its cables stretch across more than 37,000 kilometres.