National Grid has announced a £650,000 scheme to power electric vehicle (EV) charging points for motorway drivers and increase the capacity of the local grid in Northampton.
The investment includes two kilometres of new underground electricity cable from the Banbury Lane substation to the Northampton motorway services at junction 15A of the M1.
The new high voltage cable will be run at 11kV but can be increased to 33kV to meet anticipated growth, which National Grid said would help provide extra capacity for the growth of local homes and businesses.
The increased grid capacity is projected to be needed for local development projects such as a housing development at Norwood Farm, as well as an increase in green technology like EVs, heat pumps and domestic solar installations.
Northampton-based National Grid technician Mick Seamark said, “There has been no disruption for customers because we transferred electricity supplies to other parts of the network while the work was taking place.
“This project will deliver benefits for EV drivers passing through Northampton and will future proof the network for new developments of homes and businesses in the area.”
The upgrades are part of a UK wide Green Recovery Initiative which sees National Grid working alongside the Energy Networks Association and Ofgem to unlock early investment.
National Grid announced a programme of grid upgrades in April and say they are “investing an extra £60m into the development of our electricity distribution network that will support new connections, including green projects between 2021-2023. ”
National Grid have recently announced grid upgrades in Chepstow, South Wales, while the company was also granted £1 million in funds by Ofgem for eight research and development projects.
