Work begins on £7m electricity upgrade

A £7million investment on the electricity network is underway in Spalding.

The initiative involves Western Power Distribution (WPD) laying 7.5km of 33,000 volt cable between Clay Lake and Park Road, as well as upgrading two grid transformers and equipment at Spalding Grid substation.

The project also includes the replacement of the two primary transformers at Park Road substation.

All of this work will help further safeguard supply reliability to 19,000 customers in the Spalding area.

WPD’s investment is also designed to better accommodate the anticipated increased demands placed on the power network by new developments.

The project, which is being carried out in phases, started last month and is expected to be completed by March next year.

The first phase of the work involved road closures at Clay Lake and the A16 Low Road from May 19 until this week while the new cables are being laid.

Work begins this week to lay cables along the verge of the A16 near to Springfields.

A WPD spokesman said: “There will be a lot of cones going up along the verge where we are carrying out the work but it shouldn’t affect the traffic at all.

“We should be finished there by the end of July.”

Further work is then planned on Holbeach Road, Queens Road, St Paul’s Road and West Elloe Avenue, starting in mid-July and running until the end of September.

Local residents and businesses will be notified closer to the time.

Road closures will not be necessary with temporary lights controlling the traffic.

Dave Price, WPD’s Spalding team manager, said: “It ensures that we can provide a high level of service to these areas in the long term by improving the infrastructure and security of our electricity network.

“While this work is being undertaken, our aim is to keep any disruption to an absolute minimum.

“We have been speaking with the Highways Agency to agree on a cable route which creates the least disruption for traffic flow in the area.

“We have also arranged to carry out some of the cable laying work near St Paul’s Primary School over the school holidays when traffic flow is likely to be at a minimum and we will be keeping customers and business along the route informed by letter.”