UK Power Networks assists Abellio to go electric
UK Power Networks has installed new energy infrastructure to enable the electrification of up to 150 buses at Abellio London’s Twickenham Bus Depot.
The electricity distributor has installed 2.5km of new underground cable and upgraded the local substation through an investment of approximately £1.8 million to deliver 3.86MVA of additional power capacity. The equipment will connect 30 charge points that will charge buses overnight.
The first 30 new electric double-decker buses are now operating from the depot on route 111 between Heathrow Central and Kingston’s Cromwell Road Bus Station.
It comes as UK Power Networks is delivering £66 million investment across 85 ‘shovel ready’ sites, to fast-track low carbon energy projects, with Twickenham among the sites to benefit.
The project supports the transition to net zero carbon emissions and London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s plans for the capital’s entire bus fleet to be fully-electric by 2034.
Adam Lakey, who leads the Green Recovery projects for UK Power Networks, said: “This investment in essential new power infrastructure will enable Twickenham Bus Depot’s entire bus fleet to go completely electric in the years ahead, improving air quality and reducing carbon emissions.
“We worked with local communities, Government and Ofgem to identify projects where investment in electricity infrastructure could kick-start a Green Recovery, promote economic recovery and make tangible progress to connect more electric vehicles.”
Jon Eardley, managing director, Abellio London Bus, said: “This project will give us the capacity to fully convert our buses at Twickenham to electric, cleaning the air and helping to deliver the Mayor’s zero emission ambition.
“Here at Abellio London we are committed to ambitious and sustained investment in green infrastructure and a zero emission fleet. We see this as essential for attracting more people onto public transport, which in turn promotes other forms of active travel.”
Louise Cheeseman, Director of Bus at TfL, said: “These works at the Twickenham garage are helping drive forward our zero-emission bus agenda, giving bus operators the capacity to charge the significant number of vehicles now operating in London. London has one of the largest and greenest fleets in the world, but we won’t stop until every single one of the capital’s buses is zero-emission.”
Image courtesy of UK Power Networks
