Power outages expected as part of electricity upgrade

Homes and businesses will face planned power outages as part of a massive upgrade to the electricity network in Northern Ireland.

Over the next six years, a £250m refurb will replace poles, cables and overhead lines.

Much of the electricity network was originally built in the 1950s and 1960s.

Northern Ireland Electricity Networks (NIE) has said it is a “once in a generation” rebuild of the electricity network.

The length of the network could stretch from Belfast to Perth, Australia, in kilometres.

NIE said the upgrade is to ensure a “more reliable and resilient network” with “quicker access and more capacity for current and future customers”.

Derek Hynes, Managing Director at NIE Networks said power could be switched off for five or six hours at a time.

He said customers would only experience disruption as a result of the works “once every couple of years” and they insisted customers would be given “a couple of weeks notice”.

Con Feeney, National Programmes Director for NIE Networks, said that NIE are committed to ensuring that the impact is mitigated “as much as possible”.

“This includes supplying customers from other circuits, carrying out some work using Live Line technology, and exploring new alternatives to turning customers’ electricity off such as high voltage and low voltage generation and high voltage Live Line pole changing.”

He said he hoped that the upgrade will “deliver a more robust and resilient network with quicker access and more capacity for current and future customers”, looking towards a “decarbonised future”.

He added that electricity networks will have more capacity and electric vehicle buyers “can know that the capacity will be in the electricity network to support it”.

DUP MP Carla Lockhart described the disruption as “short term pain for long term gain”.

She told BBC News NI that with investment and “needing to put wires underground and overhead”, customers “have to accept” the disruption.

To report faults or emergencies you should contact:

Northern Ireland Housing Executive: 03448 920 901

Openreach Damages to Network: 08000 23 20 23 (Individual faults must be logged with Communications Providers)

Gas networks: 0800 002001

NI Water: 03457 44 00 88 or visit niwater.com, external

Flooding Incident Line: 0300 2000 100

NIE Networks: 03457 643 643 or visit nienetworks.co.uk