We are developing proposals for a new substation in the Lower Frankton area, Shropshire.
About our proposals
We are proposing a new substation near Lower Frankton because our existing substations in the area do not have enough capacity for new connections.
It would be built next to the existing high-voltage overhead line and help connect new renewable energy sources, manage power flows and meet future demand. This supports a secure and reliable electricity supply.
We are still developing our proposals. As a new development, the project will require planning permission before any work can take place.
We will provide more information about our early 2027 public consultation on this website nearer the time.
What is a substation?
Substations are a vital part of the electricity network. Our substations help move electricity around the country at high voltage. They connect different parts of the transmission network and help direct electricity to where it is needed.
Electricity then passes to local distribution networks, which reduce the voltage further and deliver it to homes and businesses.
When to have your say
Our project is currently at an early stage of development.
We plan to hold a public consultation in early 2027. This will be an opportunity to learn more, meet the project team and share your views.
Your feedback, alongside surveys and technical assessments, will help shape the project as it develops.
When we submit our planning application to Shropshire Council, the Council will then hold its own consultation on our proposals as part of the planning process.
Protecting Wildlife and Nature: Biodiversity Net Gain
We will assess the potential effects of the proposed Lower Frankton Substation on the local environment as our proposals develop.
These assessments will help us understand potential impacts and identify measures to avoid or reduce them.
We are committed to achieving at least 10% biodiversity net gain. This means leaving biodiversity in a measurably better state than before the development.
Measures could include creating or improving habitats for wildlife and protected species. More detail will be available as our proposals develop.
Contact us
We want to hear from local communities and stakeholders as we develop our proposals.
If you have a question or comment, please email [email protected] or call 0800 358 4815.
Our phone lines are open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Calls received outside these hours can be left on our answer phone. We will respond on the next working day.
Frequently asked questions
National Grid sits at the heart of Britain’s energy system, connecting millions of people and businesses to the energy they use every day. It's our vision to be at the heart of a clean, fair and affordable energy future.
National Grid is a group of companies and one of those companies, National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET), owns, builds and maintains the high voltage network in England and Wales. It's NGET who is developing plans for the Lower Frankton substation.
Within the National Grid Group there are other distinctly separate legal entities, each with their individual responsibilities and roles. More information about National Grid can be found on the ‘about us’ section of National Grid’s website: https://www.nationalgrid.com/about-us.
NGET owns, builds and maintains the high-voltage electricity transmission network in England and Wales. This network operates primarily at 400,000 volts (400kV) and 275,000 volts (275kV).
Regulated independently by Ofgem, NESO is the National Energy System Operator for Great Britain, which makes sure we all have the essential energy we need by ensuring supply meets demand every second of every day.
Generators of electricity apply to NESO when they wish to connect to the high-voltage electricity network and the NESO leads the work to consider how the network may need to evolve to deliver a cleaner, greener future.
Any new, major projects would need planning consent and a connection agreement with the National Energy System Operator (NESO), which sets out the terms for connecting it to the electricity network. Having a connection agreement does not mean that a project will automatically be brought forward.
NESO is the independent and publicly owned body responsible for planning the UK’s energy infrastructure. NESO considers how the network needs to evolve and tells us where the network needs to be reinforced. We then provide NESO with proposals to achieve the needed reinforcement for review. Then NESO identifies the optimal network solution, before providing us with an instruction to proceed.
We have a legal duty to respond to requests to connect to the electricity transmission network. We have received connection requests in the area, and the proposed Lower Frankton Substation is needed to provide capacity for potential connections.
Responsibility for connecting to any NGET substation sits with the developer, and they are required to secure their own planning consents to facilitate the connection. National Grid is responsible for identifying the most suitable connection point following a request to connect with our network, and the voltage of this connection point.
National Grid will look to, where possible, minimise the construction of any additional overhead lines.
We have not finalised our plans for this substation. We will be able to share more information when we hold our public consultation later this year.