Keadby to Cottam and Keadby to West Burton refurbishment
Our two overhead lines running between Keadby and Cottam, and Keadby and West Burton in the Trent Valley have been in service since the mid-1960’s and 1970s respectively.
Over the next year, we will be completing essential refurbishment and upgrade work to ensure that the lines continue to provide a safe and reliable supply of electricity to homes and businesses in the area in the years to come.
Need for the upgrade
In the Trent Valley, the electricity transmission network was built to connect major coal fired generation at Keadby, Cottam, Staythorpe, West Burton and High Marnham. The electricity is carried on towards major population centres, flowing primarily from the North to the Midlands.
The current network can carry 11.6GW from the North to the Midlands and, with the significant growth in offshore wind and increasing interconnection with other countries, the power carrying capability of the network needs to be increased significantly.
Before building new lines, we always look first at whether we can derive more capability from the existing network. The proposed refurbishments are required to increase the capability of the electricity transmission network in the Trent Valley region, which is necessary to limit the building of new overhead lines. Our proposals are part of The Great Grid Upgrade – the largest overhaul of the grid in generations.
Because both lines run parallel for much of their route, we decided to refurbish both Keadby to Cottam and Keadby to West Burton routes at the same time. This will minimise the impact on stakeholders, landowners, and local communities.
Keadby to Cottam
The 400 kV overhead line running between Keadby in Lincolnshire and Cottam in East Yorkshire is approximately 35 km in length. We will be replacing the wires that run between the pylons to deliver more power carrying capability, helping transport cleaner, greener energy from where it is generated to homes and businesses.
Keadby to West Burton
We will also take this time as an opportunity to increase the capability of the Keadby to West Burton line in Lincolnshire, which is 28 km long. Wires on the line need replacing due to reaching the end of its lifespan, and we’ll be also replacing the existing parts so that the line can carry more power.
What can you expect to see?
The maintenance works started in March and will take around 12 months to complete.
Our experienced contractor, Morrison Energy Services will be carrying out the work and our working hours will be Monday to Friday, 7am - 6pm with alternate weekend working.
When we’re working on the highways, our contractors need to manage the traffic to keep everyone safe. This will involve some short-term road closures, which has been agreed on with the local authorities.
Our contractors put up advance notice signs to let local road users know of any traffic restrictions and road closures.
Road Name | Location | Dates | More information |
| Owston Ferry Road (Burnham Road) | Low Burnham | 25 March to 19 April 22 April to 12 May 4 June to 14 July 8 July to 22 July 12 October to 25 October | Road closure map |
| Linecroft Lane | Walkeringham | 27 March to 22 April | Road closure map |
| Outmill | Owston Ferry | 15 April to 10 May 16 June to 28 June | Road closure map |
| Owston Ferry Road | Owston Ferry | 22 April to 12 May 18 May to 7 June 22 July to 9 August 28 September to 11 October | Road closure map |
| Lound Road | Owston Ferry | 22 April to 12 May | Road closure map |
| Cow Pasture Lane | Cottam | 25 July to 10 August 9 September to 25 September | Road closure map |
| M180/M181 Link | Saturday 13 April, 8pm–6am Saturday 29 June, 8pm–6am Saturday 27 July, 8pm–6am Monday 26 August, midnight–6am Saturday 7 September, 8pm–6am Saturday 28 September, 8pm–6am | Road closure map |
Please note these dates may change at short notice, and we are sorry for any inconvenience. We’re working with our contractors to keep traffic moving as best we can and to complete our work as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
The refurbishment work will have no impact on power supplies in the area.
We aim to complete the works with minimal disruption to local communities. We expect there will be very limited road closures. You may notice temporary traffic management signage for site access, for example when we install scaffolding and netting underneath the overhead line where we will carry out our work.
Most of the pylons are on farmland but where the pylons are closer to individual homes and businesses, we will notify the occupiers of those properties in advance.
Our Community Grant Programme is aimed at organisations and charities in areas where National Grid’s work impacts local people through our operations and site activities.
We provide grants for community-based initiatives run by charities and community groups that meet local community needs by providing a range of social, economic and environmental benefits. If your project meets our criteria, you can click here to find out more about how to apply here.