Plans for the biggest electricity sub station in UK 'to power 1m homes'

Plans for the biggest electricity sub station in UK 'to power 1m homes' National Grid's Matt Pearce hailed an important step in their 'Great Grid Upgrade', the largest upgrade of the electricity grid in generations. National Grid bosses are planning the biggest electricity substation in the UK. They have bought land for the site, spanning 73.3 acres, by the River Tees near Middlesbrough. It will be used to create a site with an initial electrical capacity of 1.44GW. That is enough to power a million homes simultaneously. But it could expand to 3.2GW in the future. National Grid's Matt Pearce said the sale was an "important step" in their 'Great Grid Upgrade'. They describe it as "the largest upgrade of the electricity grid in generations" "It will support the growth of AI and digital technologies, and enable the region's next phase of industrial and economic development," he said. The substation's initial capacity is scheduled to come into force by the end of 2029. Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said it could power large-scale industrial or manufacturing projects. It may also be used for AI data centres, seen by many as a key for the growth of the UK economy. He said the substation would mean the UK "can finally compete for those projects". Electrical substations connect power stations to businesses and homes. He said: "Everyone who's tried to build a data centre or large-scale advanced manufacturing, technological or energy-intensive industrial developments in this country knows the biggest problem is getting enough power to the site quickly. "If Britain is serious about having its own AI capability and other advanced manufacturing technologies, with sensitive data stored safely on British soil, it needs somewhere to physically put it. "I'd much rather that was Teesside than Texas or Abu Dhabi." The Government has just published a draft national policy statement on datacentres, describing them as “as fundamental to our economy as the railways and electricity networks on which we have long depended”. “We must take control over the development of datacentres in this country and ensure that the country and host communities benefit from them,” it said. Balfour Beatty is believed to be in line to deliver the Teesworks substation for National Grid, with the utilities firm Steel River Power (SRP) also heavily involved in the project