Here you’ll find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the Chesterfield to Willington project. Please get in touch if you have any questions or comments.
Call our community helpline: 0800 073 1047 (Monday to Friday 9am – 5:30pm. An answering service is in place outside of these times), or you can email: [email protected].
About National Grid
National Grid sits at the heart of Britain’s energy system, connecting millions of people and businesses to the energy they use every day. We bring energy to life – in the heat, light and power we bring to our customer’s homes and businesses; in the way that we support our communities and help them to grow; and in the way we show up in the world. It's our vision to be at the heart of a clean, fair and affordable energy future.
We are working to build a cleaner, fairer, and more affordable energy system that serves everyone – powering the future of our homes, transport and industry. We believe by acting now, the UK can become the world’s first major clean economy, creating growth and jobs for communities across Britain.
National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET), owns, builds and maintains the high voltage electricity transmission network in England and Wales. It's NGET that's developing plans for the Chesterfield to Willington project.
Within the National Grid Group there are other distinctly separate legal entities, each with their individual responsibilities and roles. More information about National Grid can be found on the about us section of National Grid’s website.
NGET owns, builds and maintains the high-voltage electricity transmission network in England and Wales. This network operates primarily at 400,000 volts (400 kV) and 275,000 volts (275 kV).
It's NGET that is developing plans for the Chesterfield to Willington project and is the electricity transmission arm within National Grid.
The Great Grid Upgrade is the largest overhaul of the grid in generations. Our infrastructure projects across England and Wales are helping to connect more low carbon energy to your homes and businesses.
The Great Grid Upgrade will play a big part in the UK government’s plan to boost homegrown power. It will help the UK switch to clean energy and make sure our electricity network is fit for the future; carrying more clean, secure energy from where it’s generated to where you need it.
The way we are all powering the things we love is changing. In the years ahead there will be greater reliance on electricity, and more of our energy will come from renewables as part of the transition to a cleaner, greener future. This means we need to build new infrastructure, as well as upgrading the existing grid, to bring this clean, green energy from where it’s generated to where it’s needed by homes and businesses. The Great Grid Upgrade is the largest overhaul of the grid in generations.
You can visit nationalgrid.com/the-great-grid-upgrade for more information.
About Chesterfield to Willington
We are proposing to build approximately 60 km of new 400 kV overhead electricity line between Chesterfield and Willington to allow us to carry more energy between the north of England and the Midlands.
The proposed overhead line would connect between a new substation at Chesterfield (being developed and consented as part of the Brinsworth to High Marnham proposals) and the existing Willington substation in Derbyshire.
Like much of the high voltage electricity transmission network across the country, the transmission network was largely built in the 1960s. It was designed to connect the inland coal-fired power stations in the North and Midland areas of England, with changes occurring in the later parts of the century to connect gas-fired power stations in the Humber region. Little or no transmission infrastructure was constructed in some areas, so there is currently limited ability to support connections on the coast.
Demand for electricity is expected to rise as the way we power our homes, businesses and transport changes. As the nation moves towards net zero, the fossil fuels that once powered our economy will be replaced with sources of low-carbon electricity.
The UK Government has set targets of 50 GW of offshore wind generation by 2030 and up to 140 GW by 2050. There is increased growth forecast in offshore wind capacity in Scotland and the North East of England, as well as increasing power flows to and from European power grids. This will put pressure on the existing network, such that reinforcement of the network in the Midlands region has been identified as necessary to secure the operation of the transmission system and ensure reliable, economic long-term supply.
The Chesterfield to Willington project will reinforce the electricity transmission network and helps to provide the necessary increased capacity between the North and the Midlands.
The UK Government has set targets for 50 GW of offshore wind electricity generation by 2030 and up to 140 GW by 2050. There is growth forecast in offshore wind capacity in Scotland and the North East of England, as well as increasing power flows to and from European power grids. As more and more renewable and low carbon electricity is generated in Britain from the increase of offshore wind, more pressure will be placed on the existing network. The Midlands region has been identified as an area of the network that requires reinforcement. It is anticipated the network between the North of England and the Midlands needs to be capable of transferring around 31 GW of electricity by 2035, compared to the 11.6 GW that it can transfer today.
National Grid only develops new infrastructure where the existing transmission system cannot be further upgraded to meet systems security standards, where increase in demand can’t be satisfied by other means or where customer connections are required.
We also consider our duties under the Electricity Act 1989, which require us to develop proposals that are efficient, coordinated and economical, and which have regard to people, the location, and the environment.
We evaluated ten potential options that could provide additional transmission capability – our substation connection points. Our Strategic Options Report explains in detail how we have considered a range of technical, environmental, community, programme and cost factors to determine the most suitable strategic connection point options to take forward.
Different designs of pylons are used in the UK:
- standard lattice
- lower height lattice
- T-pylons
The pylons we use are influenced by several factors including technical and landscape considerations. We’ll carry out further assessments on pylon design as our proposals progress. These will include visual impacts and mitigation assessments, environmental and ecological considerations, construction, and lifetime maintenance effects.
For the purposes of initial assessments, our plans will reflect the use of standard lattice pylons.
As our current plans propose more than 2 kilometres (km) of overhead line, we expect the Project would be classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) under the Planning Act 2008. This means we need to apply for a type of planning consent called a Development Consent Order (DCO) to build and operate it.
Consultation is an important part of the DCO process and the feedback we receive will shape our plans ahead of submitting the DCO application, which we anticipate will be in 2026.
Once the DCO application is submitted, the Planning Inspectorate on behalf of the Secretary of State, has up to 28 days to decide whether or not the application meets the standards required to be accepted for examination.
If the application is accepted, it will go through a six-month examination period. Careful consideration is given by the Examining Authority, including to all relevant and written representations, and supporting evidence. The Examining Authority is the Inspector or the Panel of Inspectors appointed to conduct the Examination of the application for the DCO.
The Planning Inspectorate must prepare a report on the application and submit this to the Secretary of State, including a recommendation, within three months of the close of Examination. The Secretary of State has a further three months to make a decision on whether to grant or refuse development consent.
To find out more about the DCO process, please visit the Planning Inspectorate website.
We anticipate we’ll submit our application for development consent in 2026 with a decision expected in late 2027 or early 2028. Should consent be granted, preparation works could begin later that year with construction starting in 2028. The new infrastructure could become operational in 2031.
Consultation
The feedback we receive is important in helping us design the route for the new overhead line and understand the issues and concerns that communities have. At each stage of consultation, we publish a feedback report summarising the feedback and themes received and providing our responses to them.
After we have completed this consultation, we will collate and analyse all feedback received and take it into account as we refine the Project’s design.
The feedback reports from all our public consultations will be included in the Project’s Development Consent Order (DCO), which will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate.
We will continue to keep our project website updated with information on our proposals as our project progresses. You can also register your email to receive project updates directly from our website.
Local communities and the environment
Chesterfield to Willington is an essential network reinforcement to deliver on the UK’s net zero target – without it, low carbon, renewable energy generated in Scotland and the North East of England, mostly from offshore wind, would not be able to be transported to the homes and businesses that need it. Chesterfield to Willington will help connect renewable sources of energy to homes and businesses helping to deliver 50 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and ultimately net zero.
We know that our responsibility as a business goes beyond safely building new energy infrastructure to enable a cleaner, fairer and affordable future.
We want to leave a lasting positive impact where we build our projects to help those areas and communities thrive and to support a sustainable future.
We’ll work with stakeholders and communities to understand their priorities around skills and employment, the natural environment and delivering a net zero future. We’ll endeavour to deliver initiatives that support those priorities and work with our suppliers to develop opportunities for local employment and to bring benefit to the local economy.
National Grid also has a Community Grant Programme aimed at community organisations and charities in areas affected by our work. The programme funds projects that meet local needs by providing a range of social, economic and environmental benefits.
In 2023, Government sought views about potential community benefits for those hosting new electricity transmission infrastructure. We welcome Government’s intention to publish guidance outlining principles for how communities should benefit from the development of onshore transmission infrastructure. This will help set a framework for us, in consultation with local communities and stakeholders, to deliver community benefits that work for them. This could include, for example, supporting local community projects as well as delivering broader socioeconomic and environmental enhancements. Once this guidance is published, we will work to understand what this means for our projects.
National Grid takes the issue of health very seriously and relies on authoritative and independent scientific organisations, such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), to review the worldwide body of scientific evidence on electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) and health, as well as reviewing the science ourselves.
We believe it is right that the decision on what is acceptable or not is made independently of industry. We ensure that all our assets comply with the guidelines set by Government on advice from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
A vast amount of research has been done into the possibility of health effects, without establishing any risks below these levels set by the guidelines.
For the most detailed information, visit: www.emfs.info. You can also contact the EMF helpline on: 0845 702 3270 Alternatively, email: [email protected].
All construction schemes have a target of delivering 10 per cent Environmental Net Gain (which must include a minimum of 10 per cent Biodiversity Net Gain). As outlined by Natural England, Biodiversity Net Gain is an approach to development, land and marine management that leaves biodiversity in a measurably better state than before the development took place.
What's energy resilience got to do with movie marathons? Find out how – and why – we’re connecting more clean energy to power the things you love.
Find out more