National Grid Electricity Transmission is preparing to submit a planning application for a substation in the Navenby area.
The way we generate electricity in the UK is changing rapidly, as we transition to cheaper, cleaner and more secure forms of energy like solar farms.
We need to make changes to the network of overhead lines, pylons, cables and other infrastructure that transport electricity around the country, so that everyone has access to the clean electricity from these new renewable sources.
You can find out more information here on the proposed new substation, approximately 1.4km from the village of Navenby.
We are currently reviewing the feedback received from the consultation we held in September-October 2024.
There is a shift towards renewable energy sources, meaning there is a greater demand on our network to connect new sources of electricity and customers. In the Navenby area several organisations have requested new power connections to our network, and as a regulated business, we have a legal obligation to meet these requests.
Coming up
As we finalise our planning application, you may notice members of our team including contractors acting on our behalf around our proposed location for the substation. We are working on a programme of ground investigation works which includes:
- carrying out environmental, archaeological and ground condition surveys
- working with nearby landowners to arrange for the monitoring of existing noise in the area.
We expect to complete all the necessary surveys to support out application by July 2025.
We have been granted consent by the relevant landowners for this activity where required, and National Grid will continue to work to ensure all necessary permissions are obtained. Together with our contractors, we aim to complete the work with the least disruption to local residents and visitors to the area as possible.
Please note that this activity does not represent the start of construction activity on the project, our anticipated timeline for the project, if approved is as below:
New substation in the Navenby area
To connect several proposed solar farms in the area, including Springwell Solar and Fosse Green, a new 400kV substation is needed. It's not possible to connect everything proposed in the area to existing regional substations such as Bicker Fen.
The proposed substation will be located to the north of Heath Lane, with access from Heath Lane. The substation will be set back from the road and cover approximately 32 acres. It will be an ‘open air’ substation with a maximum height of 15 metres. Four new pylons will also need to be constructed as part of the plans and two existing pylons will be dismantled.
We've identified this site as the best option through a formal substation siting study, where five possible sites were shortlisted. From these five evaluated sites in the local area, a rigorous optioneering process was carried out, taking into consideration the impact on the local community, proximity to the existing overhead line to reduce the need for new pylons, environmental factors, land availability and other key measures. Through consideration of all these factors, the site 1.4km from Navenby was selected as the most suitable location.
Travel to the site, both during construction and once the site is operational, will be via the A15 and Heath Lane. Construction traffic will not be directed through Navenby village. There will be a temporary speed limit of 30mph along Heath Lane during construction, to enhance safety as a result of slow-moving vehicles entering and exiting the site. We will also be providing clear signage around the location during construction to make sure our vehicles use the agreed traffic measures.
Our consultation
Our consultation closed on 17 October 2024. We are now taking the time to review the feedback received before submitting our planning applications to North Kesteven District Council, in Autumn 2025. We will update this page when we have more information to share about our application.
Documents
You can view all of our published consultation documents and materials below.
| Consultation newsletter |
| Printable feedback form |
| Consultation banners |
| FAQ booklet |
National Grid sits at the heart of Britain’s energy system, connecting millions of people and businesses to the energy they use every day. We bring energy to life – in the heat, light and power we bring to our customer’s homes and businesses; in the way that we support our communities and help them to grow; and in the way we show up in the world. 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 is NGET who is developing plans for the Navenby Substation project.
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.
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).
National Grid Electricity Transmission is consulting on proposals to build a new substation in the local area, approximately 1.4km from Navenby, Lincolnshire.
There is a shift towards renewable energy sources, meaning there is greater demand on our network to connect new sources of electricity and customers. The proposed substation at Navenby is in response to the increase in connection requests through the National Energy System Operator (NESO) and increased consumption of electricity that will continue to grow. In the Navenby area several developers have requested new power connections from National Grid, including Springwell Solar and Fosse Green and, as a regulated business, we have a legal obligation to meet these requests.
The substation will be set back from the road and cover approximately 32 acres. It will be an ‘open air’ substation, with the equipment installed on site a maximum height of 15 metres. The proposed substation is contained within one site and will facilitate the seven customers that currently need to connect to Navenby Substation.
Access and transport will be considered as part of our planning application. This will include an estimation of vehicle numbers and types, and will consider the potential impact of this on the existing traffic numbers. We will put in place a Traffic Management Plan to help reduce disruption.
In the Navenby area several developers have requested new power connections from National Grid, and as a regulated business, we have a legal obligation to meet these requests. Due to the number of requests in the local area, a new substation is required to connect these developers.
We are currently analysing your feedback and refining our proposals ahead of submitting a planning application in Autumn 2025, with construction starting in Summer 2026 subject to approval.
There is the potential of some noise during construction, but our contractors will regularly monitor noise to ensure it stays within the levels permitted under local environmental health requirements.
We don’t anticipate any significant noise when the proposed new substation is operational. Typically, substations generate a low frequency ‘hum’, similar to the sound from overhead lines when operational. However, to support our planning application, we will be carrying out acoustic surveys to assess background and operational noise, which will also inform whether we need to consider any mitigation measures, such as landscaping and acoustic fencing, to minimise any potential impacts on surrounding residential areas.
We have agreed with the Local Authority that the noise assessment process will be defined by the British Standard BS4142 ‘Method for rating and assessing industrial and commercial sound’, which considers the potential for noise impact at the quietest times of the day or night. BS4142 also applies corrections to noises that may be considered out of character with the local environment.
Following this process will enable us to define any appropriate noise mitigation measures. We would aim to ensure that any new noise does not exceed the representative nighttime background noise level at surrounding residences, although this may not always be possible in all cases. As a result, we anticipate that any change in noise emissions due to the operation of the new substations will be fully controlled and minimised.
We’ll ensure that any light pollution is kept to minimum during construction and when the substations are operational. Substations aren’t generally lit or permanently illuminated, other than sensor-activated security lighting for nighttime access.
We are currently undertaking a programme of archaeological surveys, and once we are able to share further information from these surveys, this section will be updated.
An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is being carried out to assess the likelihood of the planned works giving rise to significant effects on the environment. The EIA is informed by assessments on areas including ecology, species, habitats, flood risk, transport, heritage, landscape and views, and ground conditions. Once we are able to share further information from these surveys, this section will be updated.