SP Energy Networks has announced plans to overhaul the grid network in and around St Andrews, Scotland.
The £20 million upgrade project will see a new primary substation installed in Guardbridge, west of St Andrews. This substation will be connected to the grid with two new underground cable circuits totalling 12km long. The work is due to begin in the coming weeks and will continue until the end of 2025.
SP Energy Networks has a £85 million investment plan in place for the central and Fife areas of Scotland between 2023 and 2028, in order to support growing pressure on the grid from renewables. SP Energy Networks estimates that electricity demand in the St Andrew’s area will increase around 30% over the next decade as people make the switch to low carbon tech such as electric vehicles (EVs) and heat pumps.
According to SP Energy Networks project manager Archie Ferguson, this project will deliver enough additional capacity to support 1,800 new EV charging points and 1,200 heat pumps across St Andrew’s and the surrounding towns and villages, as well as strengthen the grid to support potential grid connections of wind and solar farms in the future.
He added: “This investment will be a real game-changer for the region, ensuring that people and businesses can embrace a cleaner and greener way of life with open arms.”
SP Energy Networks invests in local grid upgrades
In recent weeks and months, SP Energy Networks has launched a number of new projects aimed at strengthening the UK’s grid system for our electrified future.
Earlier this month, SP Energy Networks announced that it would invest £724,000 in North Wales, a move which would benefit 1,000 homes and businesses. More recently, the network provider secured over £21 million of funding from Ofgem’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) for three projects to improve the grid. These projects include the D-Suite project, which will explore the feasibility of using power electronics to control and convert voltage and current on the low-voltage network, while the Blade project will explore how offshore wind farms can be used to restore electricity supply following a power outage.
