National Grid is planning to replace three existing underground cable routes between Pitsmoor, Wincobank and Templeborough substations.
View the latest news and updates about the project
Cables are a key component of our electricity transmission system. They transfer electricity between substations and onwards to homes and businesses. Over time, cables can degrade. If no action is taken to replace aging cables, they are at greater risk of failure. Such failures can lead to system outages, safety incidents and increased maintenance costs.
Some of our cables in Sheffield were installed over 40 years ago and are approaching the end of their lifecycle. This essential work needs to be completed in order to ensure that secure and reliable electricity can be supplied to homes and businesses in Sheffield and the surrounding area.
The old cables are oil-filled, and they will be replaced with new cables that will not contain any oil. This means that they will be safer and more environmentally-friendly.
Project description
The three cable routes that will be disconnected and decommissioned are:
- Pitsmoor substation to Wincobank substation
- Wincobank substation to Templeborough substation
- Pitsmoor substation to Templeborough substation
To replace the three cable routes above, two new cable routes will be installed:
- Templeborough substation to Wincobank substation
- Wincobank substation to Pitsmoor substation
The map below shows the new planned cable routes in cyan.
We expect that construction works will get underway in Summer 2025. Work on the route will take place in two separate phases, starting with the route between the Templeborough to Wincobank substations.
We will then start work on the cable route between Pitsmoor substation and Wincobank substation. This work is anticipated to begin in early 2026. Completing the work in separate phases will allow us to minimise general disruption for local residents and businesses.
We are expecting to complete the project by 2027.
National Grid has appointed Balfour Beatty as the main contractor who will be delivering the works.
We will continue to share regular updates and hold information events at key stages in the project, where anybody can drop in to find out more about the project and meet members of the team.
Contact us
If you have any questions or enquiries about this project, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
You can keep up to date by signing up to our project newsletter using the link below.
Phone: 0808 175 0206
Email: [email protected]
Freepost: Freepost National Grid SHF Cables
Frequently asked questions
Answers to questions we're often asked about the Sheffield cable replacement project.
National Grid's Community Grant Programme
Our Community Grant Programme is aimed at organisations and charities in areas where National Grid’s work impacts on local people through our operations and site activities.
We fund projects run by charities and community groups that meet local community needs by providing a range of social, economic and environmental benefits. If your project meets our criteria, you can apply for a grant of up to £10,000.
Enhancing local environments
As part of our commitment to improving ecosystems and green spaces in areas affected by our projects, we are aiming to deliver a number of environmental benefits (including biodiversity improvements) through the delivery of the Sheffield Cable Replacement project.
In the areas affected by our projects, we work to ensure that we leave the environment in a better condition than we found it in. By improving biodiversity, we can improve natural habitats, protect at-risk species, and help to support local green spaces that the community can enjoy.
We can achieve our environmental commitments by reducing the impact of our construction works on the natural environment and by working proactively and with partners to protect and enhance biodiversity, such as restoring woodland, enhancing the habitats of native species and improving footpath access to be less intrusive into areas of natural habitat.
In areas along the cable route where there are limited opportunities to deliver biodiversity improvements, we will partner with specialist organisations in strategic locations to enable a positive contribution to wider environmental projects.
Latest news
A project is being delivered that will enhance natural habitats in the South-East of Sheffield, around the Shire Brook Valley Nature Reserve, to help important wildlife species to thrive.
The project is being led by Sheffield City Council, in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust, Woodhouse and District Community Forum and the South Yorkshire Sustainability Centre.
This project is being funded by the Government's Species Survival Fund. The fund was developed by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and its arm's-length bodies. It's being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England and the Environment Agency.
In early 2024, National Grid provided a contribution of £120,000 to support the Shire Brook Valley Nature Reserve project.
In December 2024, the project named Species Stacking the Shire Brook Valley, was officially launched. This project aims to safeguard local species and habitats from endangerment, increase biodiversity and tackle the impacts of climate change in the Shire Brook Valley.
The project will improve green and blue spaces – such as woodland, meadows, heathland, ponds, rivers and streams. Mammals like harvest mice, bats and hedgehogs, reptiles, amphibians and birds, including barn owls, skylarks, swifts and kingfishers, will benefit from enhancement to their habitats thanks to the funding.
National Grid will continue to work closely with partners, using local knowledge and expertise to improve biodiversity, create new habitats and protect native species.
Woodland at the Shire Brook Valley Nature Reserve, which forms part of the Species Survival Project.
Compulsory Purchase Order
To ensure that the Sheffield cable replacement project is completed within the required timescales, National Grid needs to acquire all of the necessary land and rights to do our work.
On 24 November 2023, National Grid Electricity Transmission plc (“National Grid”) made The National Grid Electricity Transmission plc (Pitsmoor-Wincobank-Templeborough 275kV Cable Replacement Scheme) Compulsory Purchase Order 2023 ("The CPO”). The CPO will enable National Grid to compulsorily acquire the land and rights necessary to construct and operate infrastructure between National Grid’s existing substations at Pitsmoor, Wincobank and Templeborough as well as decommissioning existing cables.
National Grid is continuing to engage with all known affected landowners and, where applicable, the occupiers, to discuss the rights required and proposals to deliver the project. Our preference will always be to secure land and rights in land based on voluntary agreements with affected landowners/occupiers.
We will continue to negotiate in a collaborative and positive manner to conclude all voluntary agreements where possible. Where National Grid has a completed agreement in place ahead of the works, it does not expect to need to rely on the CPO.
A copy of the notice confirming the making of the CPO has been served on all those with an interest in the land who were included in the CPO. It's also been published in local newspapers and erected at intervals across the land included in the CPO.
A copy of the made CPO, the maps that show the land included in the CPO, the Statement of Reasons and Press Notice are available below. Any objections to the making of the CPO must be made before 5 January 2024 in accordance with the details set out in the Press Notice.
If you’d like more information about the CPO, please contact National Grid’s appointed land agent, Bell Ingram, using the contact details below:
Phone: 0808 175 0206
Post: Freepost National Grid SHF Cables
Email: [email protected]
Further detail on the compulsory purchase process can be found in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Guidance on Compulsory Purchase Process and The Crichel Down Rules (July 2019), which is available to view and download for free online at GOV.UK.
CPO documents