National Grid has started construction on the Hylton Castle substation, which is being built in the International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP) in north-east England.
The substation will provide a new grid connection for Nissan, AESC UK and Sunderland City Council’s ambitious EV36Zero electric vehicle hub at the IAMP.
The EV36Zero hub brings together EV manufacturing, battery production and a renewable energy microgrid. The IAMP site is a joint venture between the Sunderland and South Tyneside councils; the substation will enable gigafactories and other businesses on the site to plug directly into the electricity transmission network.
Alice Delahunty, president of National Grid Electricity Transmission, said: “Plugging the site directly into our transmission network – the electricity superhighway that spans England and Wales – will deliver Hylton Castle a firm supply of power 24/7, and enable its operations that will support jobs and prosperity in the area for years to come.”
Omexom and Taylor Woodrow (OTW) has been appointed the contractor to carry out works for the substation. OTW was recently named as one of the National Grid’s Great Grid Partners.
Steve Galliers, project director at OTW, added: “This project is one of several that Omexom and Taylor Woodrow joint venture (JV) is delivering on behalf of National Grid. We are proud to be helping to build resilience in the UK’s energy provision and excited to play a part in one of the most important developments in the UK.”
National Grid connected 3GW of clean energy generation and several hundred megawatts of demand capacity to its electricity transmission network in the last year. According to National Grid, the connection of new demand sources such as gigafactories is expected to contribute to an increase in Britain’s overall annual electricity demand from industry of around 30% between now and 2035.
EV transition not supported by infrastructure
The new Hylton Castle substation will enable EV manufacturing, but charging infrastructure needs investment, too. Cornwall Insight’s Electric Vehicle Country Attractiveness (ECVA) Index showed that, as of the end of March 2024, the UK had just over 75,000 installed chargepoints, 225,000 short of its 2030 target.
In order to meet the 2030 target of 300,000 installations, the UK must install an average of 2,800 chargers each month, more than double the current rate.
