Next phase of £3m Stalybridge power upgrade gets under way
Next phase of £3m Stalybridge power upgrade gets under way
Engineers from the region’s power network operator, Electricity North West, have started on the next phase of a major £3m upgrade to the power network serving Stalybridge, Buxton, Glossop and the High Peak areas.
The essential project, which will benefit more than 58,000 customers in the area, started in November and this week engineers have started to replace the oil-filled underground power cables on Wakefield Road and Blandford Street in Stalybridge which have been in place since the 1960s. 
In total 7.4km of underground cable will be replaced with new environmentally friendly electricity cables and Electricity North West are investing in replacing these cables across the North West.
John Pietsch, transmission south manager for Electricity North West, said: “We’re delighted to start the next phase of this essential project which will help ensure thousands of customers in Stalybridge and the surrounding areas have the power they need for years to come.
“These cables have been in place since 1960 and they have served the area well but it’s now time for our engineers to ensure that continues by upgrading these aging cables which run alongside the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and River Tame.
“We know that although we’ve worked hard to keep disruption to a minimum, digging up local roads is never easy for local residents and businesses so we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their patience and support to allow us to carry out this work safely.”
The work on Wakefield Road, which will be completed by the end of June, will require Electricity North West to work alongside Network Rail to install new cables under the railway bridge on Printworks Road on Saturday 2nd June. Once the work is finished on Wakefield Road engineers will continue laying cable from Walkerwood Drive down to Huddersfield Road, which will be completed around the 6th August. Further updates will be provided nearer the time and you can find a full traffic programme below and here.
The third and final phase of the project will include a road closure along Mottram Road to install new underground cable in August. Full updates will be provided online at www.enwl.co.uk, Twitter and Facebook.
If anyone living in the area has any queries about the project, they are advised to get in touch on social media and online.
