UK, England: National Grid has reached a major milestone on the Hinkley Connection Project, with 44 km of new overhead power lines now energised between Sandford and Seabank.
The energisation strengthens electricity infrastructure in the south-west of England and allows more power to be moved securely across National Grid’s transmission network in England and Wales.
Once fully completed, the Hinkley Connection Project will help deliver low-carbon, homegrown electricity to around six million homes and businesses across the UK, including power from the new Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.
The latest milestone marks the end of construction on the project’s northern section, following planned works between Melksham, Sandford Substation and Seabank. This part of the route includes 95 of the project’s 146 pylons, among them 68 new T-pylons between Towerhead and Crooks Marsh.
The northern section follows the earlier energisation of the southern route in 2023. National Grid will now focus on restoring land along the northern route to its pre-construction condition.
The full Hinkley Connection Project spans 57 km between National Grid’s new Shurton substation at the Hinkley Point C site and the existing Seabank substation in Avonmouth. Of this, 48.5 km consists of overhead lines, mostly using T-pylons, while 8.5 km runs underground through the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
With 13 T-pylons still to be energised, further work will take place during planned outages at Huntspill, enabling additional sections to be connected as the project moves towards completion.
Source: National Grid
