Electricity North West announce £40m investment for Cumbria

DETAILS have been released of the largest ever investment in the North West’s power network – more than £2 billion over the next five years – including a £40m project for Cumbria.

The investment by Electricity North West – its biggest ever single project in Cumbria – will see it replace 154km of overhead lines in the county over the next five years.

The work will reinforce the network at various points across the region and build a new substation at Harker to increase capacity on the network, enabling more renewable energy generation and the take up of electric vehicles and heating.

As well as investing in the network, significant sums will go towards investing in customer service and supporting those in vulnerable circumstances who need it the most.

Support includes helping people in power cuts, helping those in fuel poverty and ensuring that no one gets left behind in the green transition.

Ian Smyth, chief executive officer at Electricity North West, said: "This is a really exciting time for us and for the region. It’s the people who live, learn and work in the North West who are our top priority. As well as this huge network investment we’re also committed to delivering some of the top rated customer service scores in the country.

"We’ll also deliver all this investment while keeping our part of bills low, which we know is absolutely essential given the current cost of living crisis. When you pay your electricity bill to your chosen supplier, around £100 a year – that’s less than 30p a day – comes to Electricity North West to enable this investment.

"We spoke to more than 18,000 customers and stakeholders to develop this plan and we know that it will deliver fantastic value for the region.

"We’ll continue to develop and deliver our cutting-edge engineering innovations, CLASS, SmartStreet and LineSight that will keep the network reliable, efficient and safe.

“As the network operator, it’s our job to make sure everyone living and working in the North West can continue to depend on the network, just as they do now.

"After more than three years of planning and preparing, we’re excited to get the shovels in the ground and put the plans into action," he said.

Electricity North West announce £40m investment for Cumbria | News and Star