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The barn was developed after ecological surveys in 2019 and 2020 identified bat activity in a dilapidated building at Ash Trees Farm.
During scheduled works near Kings Academy in Cheddar, seven team members helped prepare and resurface a key section of the route, making it safer and easier to use for pedestrians, cyclists, and wheelchair users. Their contribution supports the Trust’s long-term commitment to keeping the pathway open, inclusive, and well-maintained for the local community.
The latest project, launched in February 2025, aimed to reduce plastic packaging on ring main units which are stored at our two plant centres. The ring main units (RMUs) are a type of switchgear that are supplied in a protective plastic bag, which is needed to keep components dry. This results in the handling of approximately 700 large single use plastic bags a year from this equipment type within ED.
Working with our maintenance contractor Hortech (now Nurture Landscapes) and Evidence Nature, an ecological consultant, the project trialled different grassland management techniques and aimed to quantify any changes in biodiversity at the site. Insect and pollinator populations were surveyed by the ecologist, and any changes tracked over time alongside the changes in vegetation, giving a clear indication of the benefits of each habitat type.
The Vertical Shaft Sinking Machine (VSM) begins work at the Tilbury site, part of National Grid’s Grain to Tilbury project
Traditional pipeline commissioning methods, which rely on venting natural gas to displace air or nitrogen, have long been accepted for safety but are now recognised as contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. To address these challenges, National Grid has recently conducted a field demonstration of a portable vacuum purging system in Yaphank, New York. Vacuum purging evacuates air from pipelines before introducing gas, ensuring safe conditions while also offering significant emissions reductions and better operational efficiency compared to conventional practices.
National Grid will shortly begin a series of drone flights along the proposed Norwich to Tilbury route to help improve understanding of the landscape and environmental conditions along the corridor, using advanced technology that reduces the need for on-the-ground surveys.
National Grid is inviting local people to share their views on more detailed proposals for two new substations and overhead lines at Weston Marsh, near Spalding.
The proposals form part of the Grimsby to Walpole project, a 140km electricity connection between northeast Lincolnshire and north Norfolk and is part of The Great Grid Upgrade, the biggest overhaul of the UK’s electricity grid since the 1960s.