Residents of a UK county will soon benefit from new electricity lines as part of a £56million project. SP Electricity North West engineers are currently replacing 47km of power lines, which, according to bosses, “has taken years of planning”.

Phase one of the work involves replacing 152 pylons and other electrical assets across the West Coast of Cumbria to support the county’s economic growth and power demand for homes, businesses, and transport.

Vincent Cranny, SP Electricity North West’s head of capital delivery, said: “In what is a significant engineering project involving hundreds of people, our investment will strengthen the backbone of the county’s power network as the demand for electricity increases.”

According to New Civil Engineer, work from Roosecote to Sellafield is being carried out on SP Electricity North West’s 132kV transmission network, which feeds into the Cumbria Rings, the county’s wider power network.

The energy supplier is also in regular communication with the authorities, while environmental experts have communicated with some protected areas. In order to keep “impact and disruption to a minimum”, most of the work will take place in remote areas.

Mr Cranny added: “Once the whole of the Cumbria Ring is upgraded, capacity in the local network will almost double, enabling a clean, affordable energy future.

“Homes and businesses will be able to adopt low-carbon technologies such as electric vehicles and heat pumps at scale while allowing for future economic development for the region too.”

John Barradell OBE, interim chief executive of the Cumbria Combined Authority, said: “This investment is really good news for Cumbria. Upgrading our local power network at this scale means our communities and businesses will have the energy capacity they need for the future.

“We welcome the commitment by SP Electricity North West to our county. Their £56m investment will help Cumbria grow in a cleaner, greener way and make sure we’re ready for the shift to low‑carbon technologies. It’s a big step forward for Cumbria’s long‑term prosperity and resilience.”

The first section of the work is expected to be completed in 2027, with further investment for the rest of the Cumbria Ring “planned for future years”.