National Grid shares early-stage proposals for new electricity transmission infrastructure from Weston Marsh to East Leicestershire

National Grid shares early-stage proposals for new electricity transmission infrastructure from Weston Marsh to East Leicestershire, needed to boost home-grown energy and meet growing electricity demand in the East Midlands. 

• National Grid is inviting communities to the eight-week public consultation, which runs from 11 June to 6 August.
• As demand for electricity rises, Weston Marsh to East Leicestershire will be able to transport enough home grown British energy across the East Midlands and beyond, to power up to six million homes.
• The project forms part of The Great Grid Upgrade, the largest overhaul of the grid in generations, reinforcing the electricity transmission network in Lincolnshire and Leicestershire and boosting local economies, creating jobs, and providing cleaner, more affordable energy.   
  
   

National Grid is inviting feedback on its early-stage proposals on a proposed new overhead line between Weston Marsh, Lincolnshire and East Leicestershire during an eight-week public consultation from Wednesday 11 June to Wednesday 6 August 2025.

The project involves proposals to upgrade the electricity transmission network between Lincolnshire and the East Midlands by building approximately 60km of new high voltage overhead line and two new substations, one near Corby Glen, Lincolnshire and one near Wartnaby in Leicestershire. The proposals also include the upgrade (reconductoring) of approximately 55km of existing overhead line between East Leicestershire and the existing Grendon substation in Northamptonshire.

National Grid’s proposals form part of The Great Grid Upgrade – the biggest investment in the electricity network in Britain for a generation.  As the UK accelerates its transition to cleaner and more secure forms of energy, we need to upgrade our network of overhead lines, pylons, cables and other infrastructure that transports electricity around the country. These new projects are vital upgrades to meet the growing demand for electricity in the years ahead, including in Leicestershire and Lincolnshire where demand is expected to double.

The new power line is needed to allow more electricity to flow from where it is being produced along the East Coast of Britain, to where it is needed in homes and businesses across Lincolnshire and between the north and the Midlands and between the Midlands and the south.  This will reduce our reliance on imported fossil fuels, which are often expensive and affected by global market pressures. This will help to make Britain’s energy more secure and independent, delivering long-term benefits to bill payers.

Ben Muncey, Project Director for Weston Marsh to East Leicestershire, commented: 

This reinforcement between Weston Marsh and East Leicestershire is essential to meet the UK’s forecasted energy demand doubling by 2050 and is part of a wider programme to upgrade the entire network. 

As our demand for electricity grows, this project will connect our homes, businesses and public services to sources of home-grown British energy, making us more energy independent. We look forward to hearing views from members of the public and we welcome feedback on our proposals.

National Grid believes communities which host new electricity infrastructure should benefit from doing so. In line with government guidance, we expect millions of pounds to be available to benefit local communities, and the wider area should the project achieve planning consent. At all the public information events there will be separate questionnaires where respondents can raise their ideas for how these funds could be invested in their local area.