Bristol £1.5m electricity investment work starts

Residents and businesses in Bristol are to benefit from a £1.5 million investment in the area’s electricity network.

Engineers have started upgrading a key substation that serves thousands of customers in Bedminster.

They will be removing three ageing transformers and installing higher capacity replacements that will ensure the area’s electricity supplies remain resilient for many years.

Work at the substation in Mill Lane will last 10 months, but electricity supplies will not be affected during the project.

Paul Hopkins, NGED’s senior project engineer, said: “This is an important investment for Bedminster which will ensure a reliable electricity supply for decades to come. It will add capacity to the local network and help enable more customers to connect low-carbon technologies, such as electric vehicle chargers, battery storage and heat pumps.”

Parking suspensions will be required so the new transformers can be brought to the site on lorries. Each new transformer weighs more than 50 tonnes – the equivalent of more than 20 adult white rhinos.

“We have been liaising with Bristol City Council’s highways team and will be doing all we can to keep disruption to residents and businesses to a minimum, but there will be occasions when on-street parking is suspended so we can remove and install new equipment,” said Paul.

The transformers, which will have a 24MW capacity, will be quieter than those being replaced, as well as having less visual impact on neighbours. Measures will also be put in place to future-proof them from the risk of flooding.