NGET owns and maintains the high-voltage electricity transmission network infrastructure in England and Wales, making sure electricity is transported safely and efficiently from where it's produced to where it's needed. We don't generate energy ourselves.   

NGET is separate to the National Energy System Operator (NESO). NESO operates the electricity system, balancing supply and demand across transmission infrastructure owned by NGET, Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission Ltd and SP Energy Networks.

This high-voltage electricity is then passed onto one of the fourteen Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) across the country.

As part of our Ofgem licence to operate, NGET must offer a connection to developers wanting to connect new sources of electricity generation to the national transmission system.

While the nature of new infrastructure means it cannot be without impact, our transmission licence requires National Grid to be efficient, coordinated and economical when formulating proposals, whilst also considering the effect on the environment.

Through these plans we'll deliver at least a 10% increase in biodiversity net gain (BNG) on site. We'll also undertake environmental surveys to ensure we are not harming the environment and are providing the best mitigation.

There are several distinct processes that National Grid uses to determine where developers’ projects connect to the national electricity network. The process followed to decide this is dependent on the type of generation, proposed capacity and when the developer applied to connect.

To enable connection requests in the area, which cannot be achieved by existing infrastructure. 

As a regulated business, National Grid has a legal obligation to connect customers (such as renewable energy projects) to our network when a connection is requested.

The country’s electricity grid was originally built with the purpose of transmitting electricity created from coal- and gas-fired power stations. But as the UK moves away from fossil fuels and increases clean energy generation, we’ll all be using more electricity than ever before to power our homes, businesses and transport.

This means that we’ll need to build five times more electricity transmission infrastructure by 2030 than we’ve constructed in the last 30 years, as well as making other changes to our grid to help the UK transition to a clean energy future.

Infrastructure projects across England and Wales, like our proposals for Cellarhead, are helping to connect more clean, affordable energy to your homes and businesses.

This extension is not directly part of The Great Grid Upgrade.

However, as the UK moves away from fossil fuels and increases clean energy generation, we’ll all be using more electricity than ever before to power our homes, businesses and transport. Therefore, there will likely be a need for further connections to sites like Cellarhead.

We have a legal obligation to respond to developer requests to connect to our network – whether solar, battery storage, wind power or any other energy generator. There are a number of energy proposals in the local area that may require connections in the future – we'll consider these at the time as appropriate.

Where new connections and a planning application is required, we'll engage with the local community over our plans.

Please note that National Grid does not generate energy and our plans will also be separate from any other infrastructure plans in the area.

Yes.

We're committed to providing a safe and reliable electricity distribution supply, while minimising risk to the public and protecting our planet. National Grid owns more than 300 large substations and we have established policies, processes and cultures to reduce risk and carry out our work safely.