NATIONAL GRID: At the Heart of a Transforming Energy System

Through one of the world’s most reliable networks of cables, pylons and wires, National Grid has the vital task of transporting high-voltage, raw electricity produced from sun, water, wind and traditional fuels, balancing supply and demand to ensure homes and businesses in Great Britain are never without the electricity they need. “We own the high-voltage electricity transmission network in England and Wales,” it explains. “We’re responsible for making sure electricity is transported safely and efficiently from where it’s produced to where it’s needed.” 

Unlike in the UK, National Grid’s gas and electricity businesses in the US supply energy directly to customers, owning and operating electricity distribution networks in upstate New York and Massachusetts, and transmission facilities and gas distribution networks across the Northeast. “No matter what the weather, we’re here for our customers, delivering safe, reliable and affordable energy around the clock,” National Grid pledges.

“We have a pivotal role in the energy industry, and enable the innovation that is enabling the transition to a clean energy system.”  

NET ZERO REALITY

With climate change remaining the generation’s defining issue and time elapsing to take action and limit global warming, rapid, fundamental change is required from governments, society and businesses like National Grid. “We are continually seeking ways to make the energy system cleaner, while our National Grid Ventures and National Grid Partners divisions also enable innovations to help revolutionise and decarbonise the future of energy across electricity, gas and renewables.

“At National Grid, we’re committed to net zero for our own emissions by 2050, with a reduction of 80% by 2030 and 90% by 2040, enabling this by investing £30-35 billion over the next five years in the critical infrastructure and innovation needed to make net zero possible.

“£24 billion of this will go directly into clean energy solutions, making us one of the biggest green investors in the sector.”

As an energy transition pioneer, National Grid is wholly cognisant of the vital role it has in avoiding the worst of climate change. “The energy transition is accelerating and to stay ahead we need to continue evolving as a company; through a digital first approach, we’re transforming the clean energy landscape on the outside. We’re also working smarter on the inside, simplifying and standardising our systems and processes, so we do things once and always in the most effective way.”

Over the past year, National Grid has notched up some impressive milestones on its path to making a net zero future a reality for everyone. It helped to connect the world’s largest offshore wind farm, Hornsea 2, to the electricity system in Great Britain, and constructed the world’s first T-pylon at its Hinkley Connection project in Somerset. The first new pylon design in Great Britain in nearly 100 years, 116 will come together to connect six million homes and businesses to low-carbon energy.

Also in 2022, National Grid launched North Sea Link, its fifth and latest interconnector which also happens to be the world’s longest subsea electricity cable, connecting the UK with Norway and capable of sharing enough clean electricity to power around 1.4 million UK homes. It has saved 800,000 tonnes of carbon, equivalent to taking 300,000 cars off the road or 1,900 return flights from London to New York, in the first year, paying off its carbon cost after only six months of operation.

“North Sea Link is a remarkable feat of engineering and demonstrates how we can work with our neighbours to use every spare electron of green electricity to strengthen our energy supplies,” submitted Nicola Medalova, Managing Director Interconnectors for National Grid. “These vital energy superhighways will be a critical part of a cleaner, fairer and more affordable energy system, reducing our reliance on fossil-fuelled generation.”

UPGRADE, ADAPT, MAINTAIN

National Grid is to debut an innovative new way to connect customers to the high voltage network with the energisation of its first ‘grid park’, an efficient new way to connect renewables to the electricity transmission system, in Bedfordshire next year. The innovative first-of-its-kind design connects three separate customers to the same new supergrid transformer, which is being installed at a new 33kV substation on the site of the existing 400kV Sundon facility.

The design has the potential to help expedite renewable power connections to the transmission network, boosting efforts to meet the country’s ambitious decarbonisation goals. EDF Renewables UK will be one of the first connections, which will see a 50MW battery connect to the grid as part of its nationwide Energy Superhub rollout. “Our first grid park build is an exciting development,” enthused Mark Beasley, the project’s director at National Grid, “a proof of concept for a new way to connect low carbon generation in an innovative and cost-efficient way in the future – all of which bring benefits to consumers locally and nationally.

“When our first grid park goes live it will now play a key role helping us meet net zero targets in the future.” Over the last five years, National Grid has invested £4.2 billion to upgrade, adapt and maintain the transmission network, with a further £7.1 billion projected over the next five. The first stage of a £130 million project to refurbish the existing overhead line network between Lincoln and Stevenage has been completed, seeing 1440km of new overhead line installed.

“Once complete, the new line will not only strengthen the existing infrastructure from Lincolnshire through to Hertfordshire but will also ensure the network is able to continue to transport increasing volumes of renewable power,” National Grid explained. Now, National Grid is trialling LineVision’s Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) technology for the first time in Great Britain, following successful deployment on its US networks.

The sensors and data analytics platform will highlight spare capacity on overhead power lines and allow the integration of more renewable power. In conjunction with the construction of new infrastructure, the innovative technology forms part of National Grid’s work to upgrade and adapt the electricity network to meet increased demand and help deliver a net zero grid, concluded Lydia Ogilvie, Director of Network Strategy and Operations.

“To meet the increasing demand for electricity and deliver net zero, our network needs to grow, but at the same time we are continually looking at ways of expanding capacity on our existing infrastructure. I’m proud that National Grid is leading the way in using transformational and innovative engineering, integrating vital grid enhancing technologies like LineVision’s, to decarbonise and deliver world class reliability, at lowest costs for consumers.”