The multi-million-pound scheme is vital for the creation of a 40GWh factory at the 620-acre Gravity Smart Campus near Bridgwater that will create 4,000 highly skilled green tech jobs.
The production facility – run by Tata Group’s global battery business Agratas – is due to open in 2026 and aims to supply almost half of the batteries needed by the UK’s automotive industry by the early 2030s.
The work, which involves replacing essential fittings on pylons and refurbishing the structures’ steelwork, will take place from March to November 2025 across the 64.5km overhead line route (illustrated below).
The Lovedean to Bolney overhead line consists of 190 pylons carrying two circuits, one on either side of the structures. National Grid will refurbish both circuits, each being done separately to allow electricity to keep flowing when the power is isolated on one side. There will be no disruption to the supply of electricity during these works.
The electricity transmission system is the physical system that we use to move electricity at high voltage across the country; we do a lot of meticulous preparation to guard against power cuts occurring at a national level, and to ensure that electricity continues to flow to reach the local electricity networks.
A 178 tonne supergrid transformer and specialist SF6-free technology arrived at National Grid’s new 400kV Bengeworth Road substation, which is being built by National Grid and construction partner Linxon as part of the £1 billion London Power Tunnels 2 project to reinforce the capital’s electricity network.
Contractors and partners including Murphys and Arup, along with Lee Valley Regional Park, attended NLR’s official launch day in October to kickstart the over 40km project that will see the reconductoring for overhead lines between Pelham and Hackney.
NLR is the first of 26 Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) projects to enter construction at National Grid. NLR will play a significant part in TGGU, which will strive to meet the UK Government’s plans to power all homes and businesses with green energy by 2030.
Our project team is currently using a Horizontal Directional Drill (HDD) to install ducting underneath the A361 rather than dig a trench across it, which would have required closing the road. This specialist equipment means we are able to keep the A361 open and minimise any long-term disruption to local traffic.
2024 was a year of progress. Reform of the connections process moved ahead, and our engineering teams at National Grid Electricity Transmission pushed on with the hard work of plugging in the energy projects that will help Britain decarbonise.
From Christmas lights to Christmas dinner, many British festive traditions wouldn’t be possible without electricity. To celebrate the critical role electricity plays in powering Christmas, National Grid has released 12 dazzling facts behind the festivities, from the cost of lighting a tree, to powering those new games consoles, and just how many people will be working on Christmas day to keep the lights on.
The plan includes an unprecedented level of investment of up to £35 billion over the five years to March 2031, including:
The annual event, run by Devizes Outdoor Celebratory Arts (DOCA) and Devizes Town Council, involves a weekend of creative seasonal activities including a popular lantern parade leading up to the Christmas lights switch-on.
Lending a helping hand this year to steward and supervise the festivities were National Grid’s lead project manager Amardeep Malhi and project manager Simon Langley who joined in on this year’s festive fun.
