OREANDA-NEWS. A new GBP 13m undersea cable linking the Isle of Wight to the mainland has been completed ahead of schedule.

The high voltage subsea link between Thorness Bay and Lepe will make the electricity supply on the island more robust and resilient.

The project, originally planned to be powered in the autumn, has been 'switched on' early and is now operational due to the hard work and dedication from everyone involved.

Southern Electric Power Distribution’s Project Manager, Chris Smith, explains what the new cable will mean for people living and working on the Isle of Wight: “Keeping the lights on safely is our number one priority and this new replacement cable, which is buried below the seabed and away from danger, means the electricity supply it is much more robust and reliable.

“This new replacement cable, along with two other cables, also means that whenever we have to carry out maintenance on one of the circuits we will always have two other resilient cables to rely on as essential back up.

“I’d like to thank the local communities for their patience and understanding as we carried out the essential work. We’d originally anticipated having the work all completed in the autumn, and so to have everything in place and the new cable live ahead of schedule is great news for everyone involved.”

The project to replace one of the existing cables with a new one using the latest technology, began last year and was carried out in two stages.  The first 6-week phase, to install the cable ducting was completed last October. The second phase, to install the specially designed cable itself, started in June and the energising process, which saw electricity flowing through the cable, was successfully completed last Friday, 12 September.