Hinkley Connection Project reaches major milestone as northern section is energised
A huge milestone has been reached on the Hinkley Connection Project, following the energisation of 44km of new overhead powerlines between Sandford and Seabank.
The switch on strengthens the south west’s electricity infrastructure and enables more power to be moved securely across National Grid’s transmission network in England and Wales.
Once fully completed, the project will bring sources of low-carbon, homegrown energy to six million homes and businesses across the UK, including from the new Hinkley Point C power station.
This milestone marks the end of construction across the project’s northern section, and follows months of planned works between Melksham, Sandford Substation and Seabank.
The northern section includes 95 out of the project’s 146 pylons, including 68 new T-pylons between Towerhead and Crooks Marsh.
The completion of the northern route builds on the earlier energisation of the southern route in 2023. The project team will now focus on restoring land along the northern section of the route to pre-construction condition.
With just 13 T-pylons now left to be energised, the next major phase of works will take place during planned outages at Huntspill, enabling additional sections of the route to be connected and brought into service, moving the project closer to full completion.
The Hinkley Connection Project spans 57km in total between National Grid’s new Shurton substation on the Hinkley Point C site and its existing Seabank substation in Avonmouth.
Since construction started, National Grid’s Community Grant Programme, aimed at community organisations and charities in areas near to National Grid’s operations and construction activities, has awarded more than £1.4 million to fund a wide range of projects.
In addition to this, National Grid has provided 1,951 grants to local schools totalling £1,311,500, benefitting more than 500,000 young people. This includes funding workshops to inspire the next generation of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) professionals.
Alex Kraitman, Project Manager at National Grid, says:
The energisation of the Northern section of the route is a landmark moment for the Hinkley Connection Project. It represents years of careful planning, construction, and collaboration with local communitie. With this section now live, we’re delivering the essential infrastructure needed to carry low‑carbon, homegrown electricity to around six million homes and businesses. We are proud of the work completed so far and grateful to local communities for their patience as we’ve delivered this essential upgrade to the network.