A £24m investment in Salford’s power grid continues to progress following the installation of three 75-tonne electrical assets.
Engineers from SP Electricity North West have recently installed the 132,000-volt electrical transformers at one of its substations which will help transfer power across Greater Manchester.
Underground cable replacement projects in Agecroft and Duchy Road have also progressed to the next stage as teams work to replace older, oil-filled cables with modern cables.
All of the work being carried out will ensure the rising demand for electricity can be met as more people adopt technologies such as electric vehicles and heat pumps.
Vincent Cranny, head of capital delivery for SP Electricity North West, said: “Our work in Salford is absolutely critical for development both in the city and surrounding areas.
“More than 146,000 homes and businesses will benefit as the upgraded assets will cater for Greater Manchester’s future needs for electricity, which underpins the region’s continued exceptional growth.
“The work taking place is a significant engineering task and we are making excellent progress.”
Once the cables have been replaced, teams will then connect them to the new transformers at SP Electricity North West’s Frederick Road site.
The three 75-tonne transformers travelled more than 1,000 miles from Austria with specialist vehicles needed.
“Throughout the project, we’ve ensured we’ve kept local people up to date and we’ll continue to do so until we’re finished,” added Vincent Cranny.
“We appreciate, at times, work can be disruptive as our teams work in the roads, however, once complete, Salford and the surrounding areas will benefit from an enhanced power supply with new, state-of-the-art assets installed.”
All work has been agreed with Salford Council and while work takes place, road closures and temporary traffic lights are used so teams can work safely.
Teams are currently working in the Duchy Road area, with a road closure currently in place along Cobden Street estimated until 27 March with temporary traffic lights due to be in place on the Broughton Road junction of Cobden Street this weekend, 21 and 22 March. There are also currently temporary lights on Lissadel Street.
Further traffic management will be in place in the Agecroft area later in April. For more information, including the full list of traffic management dates, and to see the delivery of one of the transformers, visit www.enwl.co.uk/salford.
Underground work is expected to be complete by November 2026 while the substation upgrades will finish in December 2027.
