Newsline

Thousands of sports fans and guests flocked to Birmingham’s Commonwealth Games venues in electric vehicles powered by National Grid. The charging points made the Second City event the most sustainable Games ever held since its inception almost a century ago.

As the official electric vehicle (EV) charging provider for the Games, National Grid helped transport VIPs, officials and guests from across the Commonwealth to the 15 venues across the West Midlands.

Around 4,500 athletes from 72 nations competed in 19 sports during the 11-day sporting festival at the start of August… and the nation’s electricity provider was proud to play its part. National Grid loaned 125 electric vehicle chargers capable of charging two cars simultaneously, so were able to provide 250 private charging bays for Birmingham 2022. The chargers also helped support the official Games vehicles, boosting the event's aim of creating a carbon-neutral legacy.

Since the glittering closing ceremony featuring a host of Birmingham stars from UB40 to Ozzy Osbourne, the chargers have been redeployed to National Grid operational sites around the country.

Michael Rawlings, the Games’ Director of Transport, says: “We wanted to deliver the most sustainable Commonwealth Games yet and the electric vehicle chargers from National Grid played a key role in this.”

Other emission-reduction initiatives included:

• Encouraging lower-emission modes of transport by including public transport within spectator tickets
• Taking a 'mains first' approach to energy provision
• Integrating battery storage and the use of hydrogenated vegetable oil where temporary power was required.

Lorna McAtear, National Grid’s Fleet Manager, says: “We were very proud to be supporting Birmingham 2022. Our role in helping to decarbonise the electricity system in Britain and accelerate progress towards net zero made it a natural alliance and a great opportunity to demonstrate the role electric vehicles will play in achieving a cleaner energy future.”

The partnership was created to offset estimates that spectator transport would contribute more than 55% of the Games’ anticipated carbon footprint.

One of England’s most stunning landscapes could be about to look even more picturesque thanks to the latest in a string of National Grid improvement projects. The skyline of the Cotswold Plateau near Cheltenham looks set to be enhanced further by the removal of 20 pylons and seven kilometres of overhead lines.

Consultation is under way with local people and councils to gather feedback on the removal and burying of underground cables as part of National Grid’s Visual Impact Provision project.

The work would stretch across the plateau from Winchcombe and end up near Dowdeswell Wood in the south, tracing in parts the route of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway.

Archaeologists, ecologists and the Cotswolds National Landscape Conservation Board are also being consulted as part of the plan-sharing process in the area, which has more pylons than any other protected landscape in England and Wales.

The scheme follows other successful VIP work in Dorset, the Peak District and Snowdonia in recent years. Robbie Griggs, National Grid Lead Project Manager, says: “By going underground we’ll transform the skyline right across this section of the Plateau. We will survey the area extensively and explore a range of potential routes for the new underground cables that would replace the pylons."

Our plans will be refined with the advice of local experts and community representatives including Historic England, Natural England, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and the local authorities along the proposed route.

Andy Parsons, Chief Executive of Cotswolds National Landscape, adds: “The Cotswolds National Landscape is the largest of all Areas of Natural Beauty (AONB) in England and Wales and spans 790 square miles.

“The last few years have been a reminder that our protected landscapes, our national parks and AONBs are really important for the health and wellbeing of our nation.”

Essential replacement work on overhead electricity transmission lines in South Lincolnshire was delayed after workmen discovered a nest of rare peregrine falcon eggs. The nest was found on a transmission tower 20 metres high. The birds, protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, can live for 20 years in the wild and have been known to reach speeds of more than 200mph.

Parts of the work had to be rearranged to keep the eggs and the chicks that hatched safe, as disturbance is prohibited without a Natural England licence.

National Grid Project Engineer Martin Bage explains: “Our aim is to deter birds from nesting on the towers to reduce the risk of any impact on the works. So outside the nesting season, we carry out our usual bird mitigation measures of fitting nesting deterrents and removing old nests ahead of any main outage works."

But there’s no accounting for nature and during their early investigations, engineers made the find and work was immediately stopped. Permission was later granted to continue work under a special licence from Natural England, with the team keeping the nest safe under supervision from an ecologist.

Martin added: “Once the young birds fledge, we usually remove the nest to complete the refurbishment, but it’s important we take care of nature and wildlife while working on projects like this and we were happy to lend a helping hand.”

A letter containing critical information to help keep you, your family and your business safe and connected should have landed on your doorstep by now.

The Foot Patrol letter explains why sharing your details securely with National Grid will save you time and money… and bring you peace of mind.

If you haven’t had it yet, then visit click here to stay in touch and put your mind at rest. If you have any questions about why it matters, get in touch at [email protected]. The Grantor Relations team are working with the Access to Land team to ensure engineers cause as little disruption to you as possible.

The Foot Patrol letter is just one of the ways they try to build communications with you… but their role is far more varied than just that.

From sheep stranded in fields to questions about why there's a helicopter in a grantor's field, Jackie Wilkie and her team have handled most problems experienced by landowners. “We do get some unusual calls, but if there’s something that’s worrying a grantor we make it our job to set their minds at rest,” says Jackie, a Grantor Payments Officer.

The team is on hand to set emergency wheels in motion, liaise with local Land Officers or simply reassure grantors about their energy supply. They operate from three offices in Warwick, Manchester and Bristol, also fielding questions about payments and overhead line visits.

Jackie helps grantors with questions about annual wayleave payments, which are due to nearly half of the 22,000 grantors in England, Scotland and Wales, and makes sure the cheques – money paid to grantors for allowing National Grid’s engineers access to pylons and lines on their land – reach their destination.

For individual grantors near a span of line, landowners with pylons or owners of large Crown estates, she also ensures the Payment Advice Notices give a full breakdown of the transaction. But the process is currently expensive and complex, so from September 2022 the team is introducing a faster and greener bank transfer system to save on paper and postage. If you have any questions about how this may affect you, please email the team at [email protected]

Switching to electronic transfer would also mean Payment Advice Notices could be sent out by email notifying grantors of any changes to their payments.

Jackie says: “Just as importantly they could use email to inform us of any changes in their ownership or access issues, so it’s beneficial to grantors and National Grid in maintaining a safe and reliable energy supply.”

That improved communication was key to saving the life of a sheep trapped beneath a pylon last year when a National Grid helicopter pilot alerted Jackie’s team from the air.

“Because we had the farmer’s details on our system, we were able to call him and he raced out to save it. He was very grateful and thankful he’d kept his records up to date with us,” she says.

Other callers to the team’s Freephone 0800 389 5113 number bring slightly different challenges to the team.

Helen McCormack, Compliance Lead in Land and Acquisitions, adds: “There have been a few unusual calls, some of them quite amusing, but we always do our best to resolve them."