About the Bramford to Twinstead Reinforcement
National Grid is upgrading the electricity transmission network between Bramford substation in Suffolk and Twinstead Tee in Essex through the construction of a new overhead line and underground cable.
The existing electricity network in East Anglia needs upgrading in order to transport all the new renewable and low carbon energy we expect to connect to the network in this area by the end of the decade. We are therefore reinforcing the network so we can meet future demand, boost energy security and help the nation become more self-sufficient.
Our plans, which were approved by the Government in September 2024, will involve constructing around 18 km of new overhead line and around 11 km of underground cable.
Work on a grid supply point substation at Butler's Wood started in 2024, with further construction work on the rest of the project due to start in the coming months.
Why is this happening?
East Anglia’s 400 kilovolt (kV) electricity transmission network was built in the 1960s to supply regional demand, centred around Norwich and Ipswich. Whilst the existing transmission network can accommodate the current levels of energy generated in the east of England, new energy generation from offshore wind, nuclear power and interconnectors (which connect our electricity grid with that of other countries) means that, in the future, the network between Bramford and Twinstead will start to act as a bottleneck. If we don’t reinforce the network, this will restrict the amount of low carbon and renewable energy that can be transported across the country.
Bramford to Twinstead is one of several major infrastructure projects that form part of The Great Grid Upgrade – the largest overhaul of the electricity network in decades.
The story so far
2021-2023
Pre-application public consultations
April 2023
Submission of application for development consent
September 2024
Application for development consent approved
2024-2025
Pre-construction works
2025-2029
Major construction activity
Contact us
If you have any questions or comments about the Bramford to Twinstead Reinforcement, you can get in touch by emailing [email protected], by calling 0808 196 1515, or by writing to Freepost B TO T REINFORCEMENT.
If you are a landowner and want to talk to our Lands team, please call 01452 889 000 or email [email protected].
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