15 Nov 2019

Multimillion-pound flood defence scheme in Lancaster completed

A multimillion-pound project to improve flood defences in Lancaster has been completed.

Electricity North West, the region’s power network operator, finished the £5.7m job earlier this month.

The scheme has seen substantial work carried out including the replacement and improvement of various electrical equipment at the Caton Road substation site.

The project took place following the mass floods that hit Lancaster in 2015 during Storm Desmond, which caused the River Lune to burst its banks, and it is hoped the improvements will help protect power supplies against potential floods in the future.

Dan Garner, transmission manager at Electricity North West, said: “Storm Desmond was a devastating time for the people of Lancaster, Morecambe and the surrounding area.

“It caused mass disruption to the city and huge amounts of damage to our electricity network. Following the incident, we have worked extremely hard to improve the Caton Road substation site.

“The investment and the upgrades will help ensure the network is protected for many years to come.”

As well as replacing electrical equipment, Electricity North West engineers have also raised parts of the substation onto higher platforms as well as moving equipment into new raised containerised buildings.

Earlier this year, Electricity North West completed a £2m project which saw 7km of underground cables replaced which power Lancaster, Morecambe and the surrounding areas.