Sandford
Current construction activity
| Date from | Date to | Activity |
| June 2021 | Ongoing | Access to public footpaths and rights of way |
| May 2021 | 2024 | Building new T-pylons |
| April 2020 | 2023 | Sandford substation |
| 2018 | Ongoing | Roadworks and traffic management |
Overview – Spring 2024
Located in the centre of the new Hinkley connection route, the new 400,000 volt substation at Sandford is now energised.
The new substation has been constructed as part of the £900 million Hinkley Connection Project, a new 57 kilometre high-voltage electricity line that will connect six million homes and businesses to new sources of home grown, low carbon energy and help the UK meet its net zero target by 2050.
High-voltage electricity is now passing through the new substation, and the connecting T-pylons and 8.5 kilometres of underground cables through the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
In the same area, the work to modify the existing 132,000 volt line from Weston-super-Mare to the new substation is complete. This work reinforces the security of the electricity network in the South West following the removal of 67 kilometres of 132,000 volt overhead wires and 249 pylons from the Somerset landscape, leaving part of the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty pylon free for the first time in almost 100 years.
The new 68 T-pylons between Sandford substation and Portbury have now been completed in March 2024, including the hanging of the wires. We will now work to test and commission this line of pylons in preparation for energisation later in the year.
The Strawberry Line: The Sandford Link is now open!
We are happy to announce that the Strawberry Line Sandford Link built as part of National Grid's construction of Sandford substation is now open, offering runners, walkers and cyclists a new and safer route to travel along the path.
Thank you from everyone working on the project for your patience and understanding as we progress with this vital work to connect six million homes and businesses to new sources of homegrown, low carbon energy, and help the UK meet its net zero ambitions.
Sandford timeline
April 2020 to late 2023
Build Sandford substation
What we're doing:
Advance planting and landscaping.
Installing a temporary construction compound adjacent to the site of the new substation.
Building a new substation, just north of the A368, in order to maintain local electricity supplies in the area.
Early 2021 to mid 2023
Modifications to the existing 132,000 volt overhead line to Weston-super-Mare
What we're doing:
Building temporary entrances and access roads to allow construction traffic to enter site from the local highway. You can find more information on our construction information page.
Installing a temporary construction compound north of Sandford substation.
Building a new connection from Sandford substation to the existing overhead line that goes to Weston-super-Mare. It will be made up of 700m of underground cable and nine new lattice pylons. This is to ensure local electricity supplies are maintained.
Removing 1.5 km of the existing overhead line to Weston-super-Mare that runs north-west from Sandford near Puxton.
Early 2021 to mid 2024
Build a new 400,000 volt overhead line
What we're doing:
Building temporary entrances and access roads to allow construction traffic to enter site from the local highway. You can find more information on our construction information page.
Building a new overhead line from Sandford substation to Seabank substation (approximately 31.2 km).
We will use T-pylons in this area.
Early 2021 to mid 2025
Remove existing 132,000 volt overhead line
What we're doing:
Removing existing overhead line from the A368 in Sandford to Avonmouth.
Late 2021 to late 2023
Modifications to the existing 132,000 volt overhead line to Churchill
What we're doing:
Building a new overhead line using wooden poles (285m) from Sandford substation to the existing overhead line that goes to Churchill, to ensure local electricity supplies are maintained.
Removing approximately 550m of the existing overhead (lattice pylons) to the south Sandford substation.