UK, England, Londo: Laing O’Rourke has been appointed by National Grid to upgrade the Letchmore Heath, Elstree and St John’s Wood substations as part of the North West London Upgrade.
The programme is designed to strengthen the resilience and capacity of the transmission network serving North West London and surrounding areas, including future connections for data centres.
The latest scope includes modifications to 400 kV equipment as well as the installation and relocation of National Grid assets. The works will also interface with the Letchmore Heath substation project, which Laing O’Rourke began delivering in March 2025.
Combining the schemes is expected to create efficiencies across design, construction, logistics and commissioning.
The upgrades form part of a wider programme bringing together substations, underground cables and tunnels, and overhead-line reinforcement. National Grid says the investment will enable additional electricity demand while supporting the transmission of increased offshore renewable generation.
“This work builds on Laing O’Rourke’s partnership with National Grid,” said Peter Lyons, Managing Director, Europe Hub. “These critical upgrades are just part of our ongoing work with National Grid to provide more secure energy for the UK.”
Source: Laing O’Rourke
