Green power plan aims to cut emissions and help the vulnerable

THE company that manages the delivery of electricity to our area has announced a network improvement plan, which it says will reduce power cuts, help vulnerable customers and support the environment.

Western Power Distribution says it wants customers to have a say on the plans, which represent a record investment for the company. With an aim to become a net-zero company by 2028, 22 years ahead of the UK target, Western Power Distribution’s five-year plan details its ambitions to create a smarter network that will grow with the region’s demands.

It plans to connect a further 1.5 million electric vehicles and 600,000 heat pumps by 2028 and work to support local authorities and ensure the electricity network is capable of achieving local net-zero ambitions as early as 2030. The firm wants to protect areas of outstanding natural beauty by removing 50km of overhead lines.

Business plan manager Mark Shaw said: “We’re a proud member of the Derbyshire community and want to hear views on how we should invest to ensure we support regional growth and a move to a lower carbon economy.

“Creating a smart network for everyone is at the heart of our ambitions. We’re also responding to a significantly changing energy landscape and the need to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2050.

“We’ll be supporting more community energy projects and ensuring capacity is available to meet growing demand for electricity.

“Our Business Plan has been designed in collaboration with over 9,500 regional stakeholders across a twoyear period.

“We’re now keen to listen to more customers’ views and ideas on how we can best invest in an innovative energy system while continuing to make a real difference to the communities we serve.”

Western Power Distribution says the record investments it is making in Derbyshire will not result in increased costs for customers, and a pledge has been announced to keep contribution to energy bills broadly the same throughout the years ahead. The firm says its investment will help 113,000 customers in fuel poverty make savings of £60 million.

It will also help support around 688,600 vulnerable customers in the East Midlands on its local Priority Services Register, reaching out proactively to customers in known areas of high deprivation and vulnerability.

To find out more about the firm’s plans, visit westernpower.co.uk/BP2