The Yorkshire GREEN Energy Enablement project has secured a development consent order (DCO) for upgrades to the high-voltage power network near York.
Granted by the secretary of state for energy security and net zero, Claire Coutinho, the DNO means that National Grid has approval to begin construction on the £400 million project.
Construction on the network is due to start this summer and aims to allow more renewable and low-carbon energy to move onto the electricity grid and into homes and businesses, both in Yorkshire and further afield.
Yorkshire GREEN is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), meaning it had to carry out further consultation with local authorities, statutory bodies and the community before applying to Coutinho.
An example of this is the fact that National Grid has been engaging with communities and local stakeholders on the project since 2020, including two rounds of public consultation and further localised targeted consultations.
It is also the first of seven onshore projects proposed by National Grid across England and Wales required to obtain a DCO and is part of the Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) framework established by Ofgem.
Some changes are being allocated to different firms. Namely, Morrison Energy Services has been selected to deliver the new overhead line and existing overhead line refurbishment.
Murphy will deliver two new substations in Overton and Monk Fryston, and Hyosung and Hyundai will supply transformers to said substations.
Matt Staley, onshore delivery director for National Grid, said: “This marks a major milestone for The Great Grid Upgrade, and as the first project to have been given consent to begin construction, it will help the UK to meet its net zero and energy security ambitions, reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and contribute to lower energy bills over the long-term.”
Accelerating the transition
There have been several initiatives from across the clean energy sector that aim to accelerate a certain aspect of the transition.
One of the most notable includes the aforementioned Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) created by regulation watchdog Ofgem, which provides a framework that supports the development of 17 onshore and offshore electricity transmission projects.
Another initiative on a more grass-roots level is the partnership between Octopus Energy and National Grid announced in February 2024.
The partnership aims to speed up the installation of heat pumps, electric vehicle (EV) chargers and solar panels by allowing Octopus Energy engineers to upgrade a customer’s fuse themselves during a domestic low-carbon technology installation.
This change will allow residents to potentially avoid an additional 10 weeks of installation processes that would otherwise be necessary.
