Letter: ‘Why doesn’t SEE open its own museum?’

Re: Local community groups asked to bid for collection from SSE former Museum of Electricity in Christchurch.

I feel that the senior management of SSE like vision in their wish to dispose of this wonderful collection, as your article clearly shows “The core of the collection are items which show the development of the power industry within England, the engineering challenges of connecting the nation and maintaining energy supplies. Artefacts include working models which show the principles of harnessing electricity and would, says SSE, be ‘useful educational tools for demonstrating the key principles and milestones in the story of electricity’. SSE is keen the collection remains in the local area and are appealing for interested organisations in Dorset to get in touch.”

Looking at the SSE website, I read:

We are one of the largest producers of renewable energy in the UK and Ireland as well as operating electricity networks and thermal power plants. We reported:

• Adjusted operating profit of £2.4bn (-4%)

• Adjusted earnings per share of 158.5p (-5%), towards the top end of guidance

Investment of £2.5bn in delivering critical energy infrastructure including:

• Full power at Seagreen, the world’s deepest fixed bottom offshore wind farm;

• First power at Dogger Bank, the world’s largest wind farm;

• Final commissioning under way on both Viking onshore wind farm and Shetland subsea transmission link, connecting the islands to the GB grid for the first time;

• Construction starting on c.500km Eastern Green Link 2 subsea transmission cable, the largest in the UK

Why are senior SSE management not taking the opportunity to open their own new museum in Dorset showing what they have achieved in the past combined with their aspirations for the future development of electricity?

Geoff Bantock

Christchurch