Here you’ll find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the Norwich to Tilbury project.
We’ll update these as our work progresses and we hope they answer your questions about this project.
Application for Development Consent Order
The DCO application for Norwich to Tilbury was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate on Friday 29 September. The application follows three years of public and stakeholder engagement, design refinements and environmental and land assessments.
You can view the status of our application on the Planning Inspectorate’s website.
The DCO application for Norwich to Tilbury was accepted for examination by the Planning Inspectorate on Friday 29 September.
Following acceptance, the Planning Inspectorate appoints an Examining Authority which will hold a six-month examination of our application.
There will be an opportunity to register as an interested party with the Planning Inspectorate. Registering means you will be able to have your say on the application and take part during the examination.
Following examination, the Examining Authority will prepare a detailed report along with its recommendation to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. The Secretary of State then has three months to decide whether to approve the application. The whole process usually takes around 18 months.
You can click here to watch a video on how Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects are refused or approved.
Our submission documents have been published on the Planning Inspectorate’s website. This includes a Consultation Report providing responses to the feedback submitted during the 2024 statutory consultation and the targeted consultations earlier this year.
The interactive map has also been updated with the route submitted in the DCO.
The Planning Inspectorate’s website will be updated with the latest information on the application. The project website will also be updated at key milestones and includes more detail on our proposals.
You can also sign up on the Planning Inspectorate’s website to be kept informed on the latest information on the application, including information on the relevant representation process.
General Information
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.
We are working to build a cleaner, fairer, and more affordable energy system that serves everyone – powering the future of our homes, transport and industry. We believe by acting now, the UK can become the world’s first major clean economy, creating growth and jobs for communities across Britain.
National Grid is a group of companies, and 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's developing plans for the Norwich to Tilbury upgrade.
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.
National Grid Electricity Transmission owns, builds and maintains the high-voltage electricity transmission network in England and Wales. This network operates primarily at 400 kilovolts (kV) and 275 kV.
It's National Grid Electricity Transmission that is developing plans for the Norwich to Tilbury reinforcement and is the electricity transmission arm within National Grid.
The Great Grid Upgrade is the largest overhaul of the electricity grid in generations. Our infrastructure projects across England and Wales are helping to connect more clean, affordable energy to your homes and businesses.
The Great Grid Upgrade comprises 17 major infrastructure projects that will both scale up the grid and update our existing networks. It will enable us to carry more clean, secure energy from where it’s generated – like out in the North Sea by wind turbines – to where you need it, boosting energy security and helping the nation become more self-sufficient.
Surveys
Our surveying involves the drilling of boreholes or the excavation of trial pits in order to assess ground conditions in some areas of the route. These types of surveys are called Ground Investigation (GI) works and are used to determine which soils and rocks are present in the area. They are also used to monitor the types and quantities of water, gas and vapour, which may be present in the ground.
GI works for Norwich to Tilbury are undertaken by National Grid’s appointed contractors. The information gathered during these surveys will be used to identify and understand engineering constraints, the ecology of the area and any environmental considerations that could influence the routeing of the new electricity transmission infrastructure.
The information we have gathered have formed part of our Environmental Statement (ES) which we submitted as part of the suite of documents that form our Development Consent Order (DCO) application.
We're carrying out a range of surveys along the proposed route. This includes conducting traffic, transport, and public rights of way surveys along the proposed route. This means you may see some radar and data traffic counting equipment as well as some of our people collecting information. We don't use these surveys to collect any personal data.
Some ecological and environmental surveys can only be carried out at specific times of the year. For example, wintering bird surveys are usually carried out between November to February, as they determine the species and numbers of birds which migrate over this season.
We are currently undertaking the following surveys:
| Survey type | Survey locations planned within the month (Parish) |
| Phase 1 Habitat | Thrandeston, Palgrave |
| Bat Statics | Tacolneston, Langham, Burgate, Palgrave |
| Bat Tree Climb | Roxwell, Writtle, Tacolneston |
| Bat Emergence | Barking |
| Otter and Water Vole | Thurrock, Thrandeston, Palgrave, Little Waltham, Great Tey, Marks Tey |
| Arboriculture | Bunwell, Carleton Rode |
| Archaeology | Dedham, Little Waltham, Holton St Mary |
National Grid tries to reach voluntary agreement to access the land for surveys whenever possible.
If agreement to access land for surveying cannot be reached voluntarily, Section 172 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 authorises National Grid as an acquiring authority. It allows entry to survey land where there is a proposal to acquire an interest in or right over land.
We’ve also notified local authorities where work is taking place. Although we don’t need planning permission for this work, we believe it’s right to notify the local authority.
Allowing National Grid access to land does not stop the landowner making representations about the Project at any time and allowing us access for surveys does not affect any rights to comment in any form.
We recognise the potential for land damage and disturbance that may be caused by carrying out surveys and site investigations and will make advanced compensation payments to landowners for a set period of time. Further information on payments that will be made on survey access is available within our Payments schedule for new electricity transmission assets.
National Grid will work with you and/or your agent to reach an agreement to carry out surveys. We endeavour to reach all agreements voluntarily.
Where an agreement in relation to taking access to land for engineering, ecological and environmental surveys cannot be reached voluntarily, Section 172 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 authorises National Grid as an acquiring authority. It allows entry to survey or value land where there is a proposal to acquire an interest in or right over land.
About the project
Norwich to Tilbury is a proposal to build a new 400 kilovolt electricity transmission connection of approximately 180 kilometres in overall length from Norwich Main Substation via Bramford Substation and a new Tilbury North Substation, into Tilbury Substation.
Our proposals are part of The Great Grid Upgrade – the largest overhaul of the grid in generations.
Our proposals are part of The Great Grid Upgrade – the largest overhaul of the grid in generations.
As part of The Great Grid Upgrade, we are investing in new projects, including Norwich to Tilbury, to connect more home grown, renewable energy from where it is generated to homes and businesses where it is needed.
Norwich to Tilbury will transport more power across Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk. It will boost energy security and support economic growth across East Anglia and beyond.
Most of the existing network in East Anglia was built in the 1960s and while it has been successful in meeting demand to date, achieving government targets for renewable and low-carbon energy requires a significant overhaul and upgrade of the electricity transmission network.
We have already carried out work to reinforce and upgrade the existing network in East Anglia, but even with these upgrades, the network will not be sufficient for the amount of new electricity connecting to it.
There is no fully offshore solution to connect offshore wind to the grid and we have to bring the power onshore somewhere. Our job is to carefully consider the most feasible options and present proposals for public consultation. In doing this, we must consider impacts on local communities and the environment and deliver value for electricity consumers.
We have assessed an equivalent offshore option and to deliver the same capacity as the overhead line, we would need to build three subsea cables and associated onshore infrastructure. This would mean significant extra cost to consumers, and that would not meet the requirements placed on us.
In addition to cost, there are a range of environmental factors and other onshore and offshore impacts which need to be considered in this option. Taking all these considerations into account we have concluded that an onshore connection is the most appropriate solution.
We need to consider national policy statement EN-5 which covers the development of new energy infrastructure. This policy concludes that in most cases, the government expects that overhead lines will be appropriate and should be used as standard to reinforce the grid.
Our assessments have shown that undergrounding, including using HVDC cables, would be significantly more expensive and have environmental impacts and present engineering challenges. Due to the higher price that would be involved in an underground alternative, we do not believe that this would be the most suitable option as all costs ultimately go onto domestic energy bills.
Our proposals do include several uses of underground cabling in areas such as the Dedham Vale National Landscape. In all areas where we are considering underground cables, we have assessed the local environment and habitats to reduce the impacts as far as possible.
The Treasury Green Book provides guidance on the interpretation by public servants of public spending, assets and resources for projects, policies and spend from the public purse. This doesn’t apply to us. We follow national guidance, primarily the National Policy Statement EN-5 (National Policy Statement for Electricity Networks Infrastructure), which doesn’t specify application of the Treasury Green Book.
We follow a robust assessment process, which we believe is appropriate for projects like this. Our assessments, strategy, plans and recommendations all come under Ofgem regulation and approval. Ultimately, our processes will be assessed and tested by the Planning Inspectorate and the relevant Secretary of State. The Treasury Green Book guidance has never been used for any DCO and isn’t applicable to this project.
The Electricity System Operator (ESO) – now the National Energy System Operator (NESO) – published a preliminary report in December 2020 on various strategic options (Offshore Coordination Phase 1 Report). This preliminary analysis only considered issues at a high-level and has been comprehensively superseded by subsequent assessments, which clearly indicate that an onshore connection would provide best value to consumers.
NESO (formerly ESO) has since given this project the go ahead through its Network Options Assessment process (NOA). The NOA process assesses the costs and benefits of reinforcements and provides recommendations on which project should receive investment – and when.
It’s also incorrect to assert that an offshore grid is ‘greener’. All developments have environmental impacts that need to be assessed, managed and mitigated.
No. We still need to build a new network reinforcement to connect other new offshore wind and new generation in the area.
These projects take many years to develop and there are often changes to the amount of generation needing to connect. A full list of contracted generation connecting into the region can be found in the Strategic Options Backcheck and Review 2024.
Any confirmed changes to connection contracts are factored into our back check and review process.
Norwich to Tilbury will provide power to East Anglia and the whole of the UK. Our proposals will help to ensure that new sources of home grown energy being generated offshore can be connected to the grid network as efficiently as possible.
When developing new overhead lines and associated infrastructure, we always try to avoid communities and individual properties as much as possible. However, UK law does not require us to compensate for loss of view.
We are not carrying out any construction work on Norwich to Tilbury. Before we start any construction, we need planning permission. We submitted an application for a Development Consent Order (DCO), in August 2025 and our proposals were accepted for examination by the Planning Inspectorate on Friday 29 September.
You might see some ground investigation works and other surveying activities taking place along the route. These have been agreed with the local authority and/or landowners along the route.
The existing 400 kV pylons running from Bramford to Norwich are approximately 50 m high. These are a similar height to the pylons proposed for Norwich to Tilbury.
The Electricity Transmission part of your bill, which is subject to approval by the energy regulator, Ofgem, covers the cost of building and maintaining the network. Our transmission network cost in 2022/2023 was £20.00 of the average annual household bill. You can find out more about how much of your electricity bill goes towards the cost of running and developing the network, here.
You can find out more about the pylon construction process on our website, here.
The Government has published its guidance on community funds for transmission infrastructure (DESNZ, 2025). National Grid is committed to working with Ofgem, industry partners, local communities and their representatives to ensure community benefits are delivered fairly and effectively, driving lasting, positive change for the people and places integral to our developing electricity network.
Government has also announced its plans to introduce a bill discount scheme for households within 500 metres of new infrastructure, which it proposes to introduce through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. This is evolving government policy. Government expects this scheme to be in place by 2026 and we will share further details as they emerge.
National Grid is committed to providing a coordinated local and regional approach to community benefits. This will be delivered outside the development consent process, since this is not a material consideration in the decision on the proposed Project or a matter to be secured as part of the DCO, as per the Community Funds for Transmission Infrastructure: Guidance (DESNZ, 2025).
UK law does not prescribe any minimum distance between overhead lines and homes. However, through National Grid’s process of planning and routing, we have aimed to reduce, as far as possible, the impact that our proposals will have on residential communities and properties through maximising the distance between proposed new overhead infrastructure and properties.
External studies and reports
In December 2023, the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) announced funding for the Offshore Coordination Support Scheme (OCSS) to a consortium formed of National Grid’s Sea Link Project and both the North Falls and Five Estuaries offshore windfarm projects. The funding was to investigate a coordinated design for offshore energy transmission and to learn lessons to inform future projects.
The consortium undertook a series of studies and assessments to determine the feasibility, challenges and solutions of a coordinated offshore connection. The work considered the economics, engineering and regulatory challenges as well as the logistics and programme delivery aspects.
On 28 March 2024, the consortium submitted a high-level feasibility study that formed the first step of the grant funding agreement. The study assessed the feasibility of a coordinated offshore connection specifically: the capital costs; building blocks; construction and commissioning methodologies and overall programme associated with a coordinated solution.
The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero has reviewed this study, amongst other information and has decided not to grant further funding to the consortium. The feasibility study identified that coordination is technically feasible however, it also identified:
- an increase in capital costs of up to £890m
- constraint costs associated with an outage on Sea Link of over £500m*
- a programme delay for North Falls and Five Estuaries of up to five years
Given the significant extra costs and the negative impact on the delivery timeline of connecting more renewables to the UK energy system, especially considering the government's commitment to quadruple offshore wind and fully decarbonise the UK's electricity system by 2030, the consortium supports the Secretary of State’s decision and will not be further pursuing a coordinated offshore connection. We would like to thank DESNZ for its continued engagement throughout the grant term.
*This figure is attributed to the constraint costs associated with an outage on Sea Link in 2032/33 only.
The ESO East Anglia Network Study is an independent assessment which the Electricity System Operator (ESO) - now the National Energy System Operator (NESO) delivered to consider the consequential infrastructure impacts should the Government decide to take the OCSS forward.
The study explores (without making recommendations) the underlying network changes in the region, including planned onshore electricity network infrastructure, that could be considered should the coordinated network design prove a viable solution and the wind farms choose to proceed with it.
We published a response to the study which you can view in our document library.
An independent review of the strategic options appraisal by National Grid for the Project was carried out by Hiorns Smart Energy Networks. The report was commissioned by Essex County Council, Norfolk County Council and Suffolk County Council and reviewed the need and timing for additional electricity transmission capacity out of the East Anglia region by 2030.
The report supports National Grid’s position that there is a need for additional electricity transmission capacity to facilitate renewable and low carbon energy generation development in the East Anglia region. It did not support National Grid’s programme delivery date of 2030 and argued that that the need for additional transmission capacity would more likely be closer to 2035 and that National Grid could delay progressing the project for at least five years.
We have carefully reviewed the report and its appraisals, and we note that the report is a significant and independent study of our proposals. We welcome the report’s support of the need for improvements to the transmission network and recognition that an offshore solution would result in significantly higher costs and provide lower capacity than the Norwich to Tilbury onshore proposals.
However, we do not accept the report’s conclusions around the timing of need for additional capacity being closer to 2035 than 2030. National Grid is legally obliged (under our Transmission Owner Licence) to provide capacity at the dates formally agreed in contracts with energy generators (or customers).
We have undertaken backchecks to ensure the capacity required in the contracts is consistent with our understanding of need (see our Strategic Options Backcheck Report 2024 for details). These backchecks also review the progress energy generators are making with planning consents for their projects.
Consultation
The feedback we receive is important in helping us refine our proposals and understand the issues and concerns that communities have.
We have responded to the feedback from our 2024 statutory consultation and 2025 targeted consultations to in the Consultation Report submitted as part of the project's Development Consent Order (DCO) application.
The feedback reports from all our public consultations have been included with our DCO application, which was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate.
As our current plans propose more than 2 kilometres (km) of overhead line, it is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) under the Planning Act 2008. This means we have applied for a type of planning consent called a Development Consent Order (DCO) to build and operate it.
On 29 August 2025, our DCO application for Norwich to Tilbury was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate. This follows public consultation on the project between 2022 and 2025, where local communities across East Anglia were able to provide their feedback on our proposals.
Following submission, the Planning Inspectorate carried out an initial review of our application to check it met their requirements and on Friday 29 September accepted the application for examination.
You can view all our application documents on the Planning Inspectorate’s website. This includes our Consultation Report, which provides responses to the feedback submitted during the 2024 statutory consultation and the targeted consultations held earlier this year.
We’ve held three stages of public consultation on our proposals for Norwich to Tilbury, including a statutory consultation in summer 2024. We also held supplementary targeted consultations between January and April 2025.
You can find more information on the proposals we presented at each of these consultations in our Document Library.
Access and agreements
National Grid will look to agree easements (permanent agreement to install, use and maintain equipment and assets) with all affected landowners, allowing National Grid to install, use and maintain their equipment.
An easement is a legal right in perpetuity, granting National Grid the right to install, use and maintain its equipment. A permanent easement is granted in exchange for a one-off capital payment, also known as a Deed of Grant of Easement.
A Wayleave is a licence granted by the owner and occupier of land giving National Grid the right to install, use and maintain its equipment. Terms of the wayleave agreement provide for the annual rental and compensation payments to be made based on the type and amount of infrastructure on the land, and its land use.
Easement payments vary between types of land and whether the new connection will be an overhead line or underground cables. For more information on both, please read National Grid's Payments schedule for new electricity transmission assets.
An option agreement is a legally binding document used by National Grid to secure land rights. The option will obligate the parties involved to enter into a final form of agreement as long as the relevant terms and conditions of the option agreement are met.
National Grid may have to rely on compulsory purchase powers as a last resort, if voluntarily agreements for land rights cannot be reached with landowners. Alongside our Development Consent Order (DCO) application, we are also applying for compulsory purchase powers. This will ensure that, if the DCO is granted, National Grid will be able to obtain all land rights needed to construct and subsequently operate the new electricity transmission assets.
National Grid acknowledges that any proposed new works may cause concern to landowners. In additional to the other payments outlined, ‘Injurious affection’ and any other appropriate Heads of Claim will be considered on an individual basis in accordance with current legislation.