Thousands benefit from £10.6m power upgrade between Worthing and Steyning

UK Power Networks has completed work to install and energise a new electricity cable between the towns, replacing existing equipment. The cabling is part of the essential electricity network, which delivers power supplies to heat and light homes and businesses and power Electric Vehicles and heat pumps.

The team used an existing underground electricity pipeline to carry the new cabling, minimising the need for roadworks along the majority of the 9.5km route. Excavations were made at intervals along the route to pull through and connect the cables. The route included parts of Steyning, the South Downs, Sompting and Worthing.

Bobby Suseela, capital programme manager at UK Power Networks, said: “This investment has increased network resilience for homes and businesses across the Steyning and Worthing areas using an existing cable pipeline to reduce the local impact.

“The project will deliver long-term benefits for local residents, helping us maintain safe and reliable electricity supplies to these areas into the future.”

The cabling, which carries electricity between substations at 132,000-volts, supports the delivery of electricity supplies to approximately 95,000 local homes and businesses.

The project is part of approximately £800 million UK Power Networks is investing in the electricity network across the South East, London and East of England this year.

From schools to hospitals, water supplies to railway stations, the electricity network serves more than 8.5 million homes and businesses via the company’s cables and substations.

The network includes more than 53,000 kilometres of underground and overhead power lines in the South East alone.