Electricity North West (ENW)

Project: 33kV cable applications

Location: North West of England, UK

Company: Electricity North West Limited

Tratos & Electricity North West Limited  (EWN) cooperation

Tratos has supplied Electricity North West Limited (EWN) with 33kV Medium Voltage (MV) cable for a range of projects across the North West of England.

Owners and operators of the electricity distribution network for the North West of England, Electricity North West connects 2.4 million properties and more than 5 million people in the region to the National Grid.

About Electricity North West

Electricity North West is one of 14 distribution network operators in the UK regulated by Ofgem and the majority of electricity enters our network from the National Grid.

ENW is responsible for maintaining and upgrading 13,000 km of overhead power lines and more than 44,000 km of underground electricity cables and much more. This covers the diverse communities between the beautiful Lake District landscapes to the bustling city of Manchester and all the wonderful towns and villages located in-between. 

Its network in the North West is one of the most reliable in the country and we are investing £1.9bn by 2023 to ensure we continue to deliver an excellent, safe and affordable service to all our customers. 

ENW has transformed the way energy is delivered in the North West since we purchased the electricity distribution network from United Utilities back in 2007. In 2010 we then took on responsibility for operating and maintaining the network, offering a full and comprehensive service to customers. 

Power distribution and sustainable development

Tratos is very pleased to contribute toward achieving Goal 7 of the UN Global Goals to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Goal 13: Climate Action, and Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

Humanity faces many challenges in the field of sustainable development. Regardless of how sustainability is defined one subject that is very much underrepresented is the importance of electricity at the point of consumption. 

Electricity is the lifeblood of all modern societies, yet its continual flow is taken for granted. It is only when there is a power cut that we start to appreciate and realise how dependent our daily living standards are on the continuity of its supply. There are many things that can cause an interruption in supply, which can be either caused by humans or nature. In the UK many interruptions of the supply are localised, of a very short duration, are looked at a s a minor glitch, and of bearable consequence. But when there is a widespread blackout due to a major incident, then the media and policy makers become vocal and responses are initiated to make the system more robust. 

Currently, 55% of the world’s population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 68% by 2050, and it is estimated that by 2050 the global urban population is expected to approach 6.4 billion. This makes the robustness of the urban electricity system and the continuation of electricity supply, critical to the future resilience of cities and to the continuation of the standard of living of the population. In the developed world all electricity generation systems are centralised, with consumers accessing the system via a national grid. As the urban population grows an electrical failure will have increasing and more devastating secondary impacts on the daily lives of more and more people.

Did you know?

In 2019, the UK became the first country in the world to declare a climate emergency, and passed laws to bring greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. Net zero means balancing carbon dioxide emissions with carbon removal, or simply eliminating carbon dioxide emissions altogether. It’s also known as ‘carbon neutral’.

Tratos is honoured to support the UK ambitious goal to be carbon neutral by 2050.