PEOPLE in the West Midlands can play a key part in the UK’s net zero aspirations, thanks to new ambitious plans unveiled by Western Power Distribution – the company responsible for the local electricity network.
WPD will enable customers to achieve their net zero goals well ahead of the UK and Welsh government targets of 2050 as part of a £6.7billion investment in the local grid.
WPD is leading by example, planning to be a carbon neutral business by 2028 and delivering while keeping customer’s bills ‘broadly flat’.
WPD’s five year plan from 2023 to 2028 means customers will be able to connect and charge their electric vehicles (EVs), and install heat pumps in huge volumes without delay. An additional 1.5million EVs and 600,000 heat pumps are expected by 2028.
WPD is also pledging 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 a smart energy action plan each year to help access the benefits of low carbon technologies.
And it has vowed to support 113,000 fuel poor customers to save more than £60million between them over five years.
WPD also plans to work with every school across its service area, providing electricity safety information to more than 200,000 school children and provide £540,000 worth of funding each 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.
Phil Swift, WPD’s chief executive, said: “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 our regions are at the forefront of the nation’s shift to net zero and a low carbon future.”
