Wharfedale News
Project aims to resolve power cuts problems
7:00am Saturday 4th February 2012
Otley residents will be able to view details of a £450,000 scheme to improve the town’s electricity supply next week.
Northern Powergrid is inviting people to find out about the work, which aims to solve the issues behind a series of recent power cuts, at an information event at the Bridge Church on Tuesday.
The event, which runs from noon to 5.30pm, will also give the public and businesses a chance to raise any issues or questions they have about the project, which is set to start in March.
The work will include laying sections of new underground 11,000 volt cables in the town centre and replacing sub-station equipment that allows supplies to be switched from other parts of the network.
Northern Powergrid says it is keen to talk to as many people as possible to ensure the scheme can be carried out without causing too much disruption to traffic.
Director of customer operations John Barnett said: “Investment in Otley’s electricity network is already included in our investment plans for this year.
“However, we are now bringing the work forward as a matter of priority.
“We want to say to the people of Otley that we do care about the power supply situation in the town, and we want to ensure local confidence that we are taking steps to ensure it is as robust and reliable as possible.
“We hope that our information event answers questions residents and businesses in Otley may have about the plans to reinforce their electricity supplies.”
Anyone unable to attend Tuesday’s event can still raise questions about the work by calling the company on 0800 2987769 or sending an e-mail to cus.serv@northernpowergrid.com.
Northern Powergrid says a further £550,000 of investments are in the pipeline for Otley, to meet future system demands.