Stage 2 consultation
Our Stage 2 public consultation took place between Tuesday 3 March 2026 and Tuesday 28 April 2026. This consultation is now closed, but our communication channels remain open.
Please get in touch if you have any questions or comments about Chesterfield to Willington:
Call us: 0800 073 1047. Lines are open Monday to Friday 9am–5:30pm, with an answerphone facility taking messages outside of these hours.
Email us: [email protected]
Write to us: FREEPOST NATIONAL GRID PROJECTS (JBP) no stamp or further address is required.
The feedback we receive at Stage 2 consultation will help us to further refine our proposals for Chesterfield to Willington before we submit an application for a Development Consent Order to the Planning Inspectorate.
Supporting local communities
We believe communities which host new electricity infrastructure should benefit from doing so. Millions of pounds will be available to benefit local communities and the wider area from projects such as this.
Across the region, we will build partnerships and invest in skills and employment opportunities, and we are interested to hear early views on how this funding should be spent.
Tell us your views by filling out our Community Benefit Survey.
Grid:Engage – A better way to keep informed
Keep up to date on Chesterfield to Willington activity with our Grid:Engage app.
Download through the Apple App Store or Google Play.
About Chesterfield to Willington
In 2024 we held a Stage 1 consultation on the early proposals for Chesterfield to Willington (see Stage 1 Consultation Feedback Report for more information). Feedback from this early stage of the project has been used to refine our proposals for this second stage of consultation.
You can read more about the project on the Our proposals page or view our interactive map.
Why this is needed
The existing network in the East Midlands region does not have the capacity to deliver the required amount of electricity to where it is needed.
Chesterfield to Willington would play an important role in transporting more secure, cleaner, home-grown energy from more affordable sources – generated off the coast of Britain – to around two million homes in the Midlands and beyond.
About The Great Grid Upgrade
The way we generate electricity has changed and is continuing to change. Demand for electricity is set to double by 2050 as the way we power our homes, businesses, industry and transport changes. We need to upgrade the grid now to ensure we can meet this increase in demand.
Chesterfield to Willington is part of The Great Grid Upgrade, the largest upgrade of the electricity network in England and Wales in generations.
The DCO process
Chesterfield to Willington is a project of national significance. This type of project requires a special type of planning permission to be built, known as a Development Consent Order (DCO).
Hearing your views is important to us. Your feedback – along with the outcome of technical assessments and environmental surveys – helps us to develop our proposals before we submit our DCO application to the Planning Inspectorate. The Planning Inspectorate will examine our proposals and make a recommendation on the application to the Secretary of State, who will make the final decision on whether to grant consent.
Indicative project timeline
The project is currently in the pre-application stage of the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) planning process. Below is a timeline of the key milestones.
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