600 staff needed at Central Networks

, the electricity distribution company for central

is getting ready this April to start its £1 billion investment programme in the region’s electricity network.

The company is also gearing up to take on an extra 600 staff over the next three years to deliver its five-year investment programme.

Central Networks serves over 4.8 million customers across the Midlands and employs more than 4,000 people at its various sites. The company was formed in April 2004 when its owner E.ON UK merged its East Midlands Electricity with Midlands Electricity.

“The increased investment of around 55% is needed because of greater demand in the area, and particularly to replace parts of the electricity network, some of which is over fifty years old,” said Managing Director Bob Taylor.

Work programmes will involve improvements to rural overhead lines and urban networks, as well as a number of multi-million pound infrastructure projects across the region.

“We’ll need an extra 600 people to help us deliver the investment over the coming years” added Taylor. “And that investment in people offers us another challenge because finding the right people with the right skills won’t be easy. We’ve taken this on by developing pioneering initiatives and projects to encourage more people into our sector.”