Power firm pledges help to go zero carbon

WESTERN Power Distribution (WPD), the company responsible for the local electricity network, has outlined its vision to enable customers in Leicestershire to achieve their net zero aspirations well ahead of the UK and Welsh government targets of 2050 as part of a £6.7 billion investment in the local grid.

WPD will also lead by example, becoming a carbon neutral business itself by 2028.

This will all be delivered while keeping overall customer bills flat.

The plans, covering the five-year period 2023-2028, will enable customers to quickly and easily connect and charge electric vehicles (EVs), and install heat pumps in huge volumes without delay – with an additional 1.5 million EVs and 600,000 heat pumps expected by 2028.

Crucially, WPD is pledging that no one will be left behind in the shift to a smart energy future.

It will deliver an ambitious programme to support customers in vulnerable situations, offering 600,000 customers a smart energy action plan each year to help access the benefits of low-carbon technologies.

It will also support 113,000 fuel poor customers to save more than £60 million over five years.

WPD also plans to work with every school across its service area, providing electricity safety information to more than 200,000 schoolchildren, as well as providing £540,000 a year to install solar panels on school roofs and pledging to insulate, underground or divert electricity cables near school playing areas to keep children safe.

The future of energy has never been more exciting.

WPD is leading an energy revolution: delivering a smart, digitalised electricity grid by 2028, while keeping customer bills broadly flat.

Our customers can have full confidence that we’re ready to deliver on our ambitious and innovative proposals.

By doing so we’ll ensure that our regions are at the forefront of the nation’s shift to net zero and a lowcarbon future.

Phil Swift, chief executive, Western Power Distribution