About National Grid
National Grid sits at the heart of Britain’s energy system, connecting millions of people to the energy they use every day.
We bring energy to life: in the heat, light and power we bring to our customers’ homes and businesses; in the way we support our communities and help them to grow; and in the way we show up in the world.
We’re working to build a more resilient, fairer, more affordable energy system that serves everyone. We’re fuelling new jobs, powering economic growth and helping our communities thrive. And we’re doing it with new ideas and technologies to keep pace with the demands of life and unlock the future of energy for our customers.
National Grid is a group of companies. One of those companies, National Grid Electricity Transmission, owns, builds and maintains the network in England and Wales. It’s National Grid Electricity Transmission that is developing plans for Cross Border Connection.
Within the National Grid Group there are other distinctly separate legal entities, each with their individual responsibilities and roles.
National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) owns and maintains the high voltage electricity transmission network in England and Wales. This network operates primarily at 400 kilovolts (kV) and 275 kV. It is NGET that is bringing forward NLRP.
The Great Grid Upgrade (TGGU) is the largest overhaul of the electricity grid in generations. Our infrastructure projects, including the NLR project, across England and Wales are helping to connect more renewable energy to your homes and businesses. It will help the UK switch to clean energy and make sure our electricity network is fit for the future; carrying more clean, secure energy from where it’s generated to where it is needed.
TGGU will play a significant part in meeting the UK Government’s plans to power all homes and businesses with green energy by 2030, ensuring our electricity network is fit for the future.
About the North London Reinforcement (NLR) project
The North London Reinforcement (NLR) project will deliver a critical upgrade to our electricity transmission network, doubling capacity to meet growing demand across the region and support energy security.
Currently, there is not enough transmission capacity on our existing overhead lines, forcing significant increases in energy demand to be met from non-renewable sources.
We will be increasing voltage along the route from 275 kV to 400 kV and modernising substation technology that has served the area for over sixty years, enabling it to support greater volumes of energy from renewable sources, creating the foundation for a reliable, sustainable energy future.
The NLR project is part of The Great Grid Upgrade, the largest overhaul of the electricity grid in generations, and will play a significant part in meeting the UK Government's plans to power all homes and businesses with green energy by 2030.
The NLR project was approved in May 2014 by the Secretary of State and then subsequently put on hold by National Grid following a change in energy demand.
The Government has set targets to connect 50GW of offshore wind by 2030, as well as increased demand across the electricity network. Subsequently, the project has since been brought forward as part of the Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment programme. A link to this project’s successful Development Consent Order (DCO) Application can be found on the Planning Inspectorate’s website.
Some of our works, including those between Pelham and Waltham Cross, and at Hackney, are being carried out under permitted development rights. You can read more about consent and permissions here.
National Grid have set a 10% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) target in environmental value on all construction projects and is aiming to achieve 15% on this project. To achieve this, we will work with ecologists and Lee Valley Park about how and where biodiversity net gains following this project will take place.
This upgrade aims to enhance electricity transmission capacity, addressing future energy demands. It plays a vital role in transmitting offshore wind power to residences and businesses.
Substations are integral features of the transmission and distribution networks and enable electricity to be transmitted at different voltages, securely and reliably. One of the main roles of substations is to convert electricity into different voltages. Electricity can then be transmitted throughout the country and then distributed throughout local neighbourhoods and into our homes, businesses and buildings.
NGET takes electricity generated from windfarms and other power sources and transports it through its network of pylons, overhead lines, cables, and substations. Electricity is then transmitted at a lower voltage via the local distribution networks to homes and businesses.
The planned substation upgrades include enhancements to capacity, reliability, and connectivity features to accommodate increasing amount of new energy sources coming online. By upgrading the substations, we aim to support the integration of renewable energy projects, improve overall grid stability, and ensure that local energy projects can connect and contribute to the energy supply.
The substations across the route, like all substations across the country, enable electricity to be transmitted at different voltages, securely and reliably. This process enables electricity to be transmitted throughout the country and then distributed throughout local neighbourhoods and into our homes and businesses. There is increased demand for electricity and greater renewable energy being connected to the grid than ever before. Consequently, substations require upgrades to support this growth.
Technology in existing substations was originally installed in the 1960s, so upgrades are required to accommodate the infrastructure needed to facilitate the increase in transmission capacity from 275 kV to 400 kV. The substation expansions as part of NLR will improve network stability and security and help to future-proof the electricity network.
All substations are designed to limit EMFs in line with independent safety guidelines, set to protect us all against exposure. Overhead lines, even at the highest voltages, are also designed to ensure EMFs remain below limits set out in the independent safety guidelines. After decades of research, the weight of evidence is against there being any health risks of EMFs below the guideline limits. Due to the design of the equipment that substations contain, substations do not produce a significant external electric field, but they do generate a magnetic field.
There are carefully thought-out policies for protecting us all against Electro Magnetic Fields (EMFs), the main component of which is ‘exposure guidelines. The UK guidelines are set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and have been adopted by the Government.
Such concerns are taken seriously, and our priority is to keep the public, our contractors and employees safe.
Local communities
During construction we will need to carry out a range of temporary activities such as creating equipment storage areas and site offices. Road and public rights of way diversions will also need to be implemented. Before we do this, we will prepare a Construction Management Plan with each impacted local authority that will set out controls and measures to reduce our impact on the local community.
We will work closely with the local community to minimise the impact of our project, where we can, and we will support community initiatives in areas where we are working to deliver social, economic or environmental benefits.
National Grid is committed to working with the public and our stakeholders to ensure that the North London Reinforcement project (NLR) is delivered in a manner that seeks to minimise any localised impacts and cause the least disruption possible.
Whilst we do not expect our construction works will cause any long term or major impacts, we are committed to ensuring that those affected are given advanced notice and are able to contact us via our community relations channels. We will issue letters to the public to inform on upcoming works, place posters and notices around sites undergoing work, as well as look arrange pop up sessions and community liaison groups where there is sufficient interest.
Our website will remain up to date with the latest timeline and we will provide project updates detailing the progress of the works throughout construction. You can also register your details with us and we will let you know directly when more information becomes available.
The Community Grant Programme is run by the NGET business. The programme is aimed at community organisations and charities in areas where our work is impacting local people through our operations and construction activities.
Communities impacted by the maintenance of existing infrastructure (e.g. refurbishment of overhead lines or substations resulting in road closures and other impacts) can apply for grants of up to £20,000.
Contact us
If you would like any further information or to speak to a member of the community relations team about the works, please use the contact form on our website or via the contact details below.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0800 279 3408