Guernsey Electricity has completed the installation of a new primary and secondary substation in the north of the Island which is now operational and supplying customers in the Bordeaux area.
The upgrade is a feature of the company’s continuous asset management programme which invests in and prepares the network for the ever increasing use of electricity on-Island. This aims to replace two primary substations every year.
The primary substation is part of the high voltage network across the Island which, in turn, connects to the secondary substations that reduce the voltage to supply homes and businesses in the Bordeaux area.
Sally-Ann David, Guernsey Electricity’s Operations Director, said: “Guernsey Electricity is committed to providing an electricity network and secure supply, ultimately, to enable all Islanders and businesses to decarbonise their heating and transport as part of the energy transition.
“These installations are an example of that investment and upgrade, with Bordeaux being the most recently example and this is also demonstrated by the new £4m bulk supply substation at Beau Séjour late last year.”
The original equipment was first installed in 1964 and the necessary replacement parts are no longer available. When upgrading electrical infrastructure, Guernsey Electricity say that they choose equipment, where possible, to provide better security as well as maximising the lifespan of the components and reduce longer term operating costs.
Mrs David added: “The team worked hard to minimise disruption and maintain electricity supply for customers throughout. Both installations were also completed under budget and more than a month earlier than planned.”
The main image shows the smaller secondary substation at Bordeaux that was completed at the end of 2021 and the primary substation that began supplying the network in March 2022.
