Opportunity for local residents to have their say on plans to extend Bodelwyddan substation in North Wales

The proposals will help to meet targets for developing new homegrown sources of renewable energy in Wales over the next decade, including the Welsh government’s target of meeting the equivalent of 70% of Wales’s electricity demand from renewable energy sources by 2030.

As a business regulated by the energy regulator Ofgem, National Grid Energy Transmission (NGET) has a legal obligation to connect new sources of energy generation to its transmission network when requested.

The substation extension is being proposed in response to the need to connect new low carbon energy projects to National Grid’s electricity transmission network in North Wales. These include the bp and EnBW Mona and RWE Awel y Môr offshore wind farms, and the MaresConnect subsea interconnector cable between Wales and Ireland.

As part of its proposal, it is consulting local people and organisations between 10 October and 7 November 2023, including holding two drop-in events where the team will share details of the proposals and offer local people a chance to provide feedback.

Location: Neuadd Owen Village Hall, Cefn, LL17 0EY

• Thursday 12 October, 3pm–7pm
• Saturday 14 October, 10am–1pm

People are welcome to drop in at any point during these sessions with team members available to answer questions.

The proposals are to extend the substation to the west by approximately 8,800 square metres in a similar layout and at the same height as the current substation. Within the substation there will be a new building that will house equipment, with a footprint of approximately 1,263 square metres and in a similar layout and at the same height as the current substation.

As a separate but related part of its work, National Grid also needs to change how the existing overhead line that currently runs between Pentir in Gwynedd and Connah’s Quay in Flintshire enters and leaves the expanded substation.

The proposals are at an early stage and this consultation with the public is being held ahead of the final development of plans and the submission of a planning application to Denbighshire County Council towards the end of 2023.

National Grid development engineer Alan Pritchard said: “Our proposals are important and necessary part of meeting our duty to connect new low carbon projects to the grid, and to reinforce our network. It will help provide clean, reliable power in the future, supporting Wales’s energy ambitions of meeting the equivalent of 70% of its electricity demand from renewable energy sources by 2030.

“It’s part of a major programme of works across Wales and England to connect green energy to the grid and allow it to power homes and businesses, helping contribute to lower energy bills, as well as boosting our home-grown energy security and progress towards net zero.

“We look forward to hearing the views of local people who can find out more and share their feedback at one of our events or by visiting the project website.” 

More information about the project and how people can get involved

People can also get in touch with the project team by emailing [email protected] or calling 0800 915 3596 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5:30pm) and leaving a message.