In recent years there has been an increase in demand for electricity in Nottingham and the surrounding region.
Central Networks (East), the local electricity distributor, needs a new connection to the National Grid high-voltage network to maintain the quality and security of electricity supplies to Gedling, the City of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, which will also meet the growing demand for power in the future.
National Grid has been asked by Central Networks (East) to design and build a new substation to provide this connection to the high-voltage transmission network. Several locations have been looked at, but the only suitable high-voltage power line runs to the east of Nottingham. The line is closest to the sites of electricity demand as it passes through the area around Stoke Bardolph.
National Grid identified several potential sites for the new substation. After taking into account technical and environmental considerations, the number of possible sites was narrowed to two. National Grid submitted planning applications for both sites, and Gedling Borough Council has now given consent for the substation to be built on one of these (Site C).
Consent has also been sought from the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) for the construction of a new section of overhead line to connect the site to the high-voltage network nearby.
Building the substation at this location will ensure it is near the existing National Grid overhead line and Central Networks’ substations at Nottingham East and Nottingham North. It will provide the opportunity to supply the city and surrounding areas with electricity from both the north and the south, and minimise the number of new pylons needed to connect it to the high-voltage network.