One year since the launch of The Big Upgrade, Jersey Electricity has reported that significant progress has been made to reinforce the electricity network to ensure that homes and business benefit from affordable, sustainable energy.
Jersey Electricity’s £120 million investment over five years will ensure the electricity network has the reach and capacity to support an all-electric future, reliably powering heating systems in homes and businesses and charging the growing number of electric vehicles on Jersey’s roads.
Highlights from the first year of The Big Upgrade include:
- 40 infrastructure upgrade projects have been initiated.
- Electricity infrastructure serving 22 major housing areas has been successfully upgraded.
- Six further projects are in progress with seven more in the planning stage.
- 11 kilometres of new underground cables have been laid.
- Digital innovation has enabled a 50% increase in planning output without increasing operational overheads.
- Safely demolished a 3000 sqm site housing a decommissioned steam turbine at La Collette, with 17,000 disconnections (circuits for telemetry and power) totalling over 12,000 hours of work by JE’s engineers.
Mark Preece, Chief Operating Officer of Jersey Electricity, said: “We’ve made great progress in the first year of The Big Upgrade, rapidly increasing the scale of infrastructure investment our engineers and partners have delivered. Through strategic investment and digital innovation, we’ve defined exactly which areas need the most reinforcement and focused our activity to create maximum benefit for customers.
“A crucial element of The Big Upgrade is making sure that the electricity network is ready for the future. We are going to see more customers switching to electric heating in the coming years and investing in electric vehicles. Customers can be assured that, when the time is right for them, the electricity network is ready for them.
“Naturally this level of network investment does create roadworks and diversions. We’re acutely conscious of this and work hard to ensure we keep disruption to a minimum. We’re grateful for Islanders’ patience as we deliver this ambitious programme of works to deliver the electricity network that will meet our Island’s needs, long into the future.”
