National Grid Mid Wales Connection Project

The proposed Mid Wales Electricity Connection for National Grid, sought to establish a new 400kV link between a marshalling substation and the existing National Electricity Transmission System. The development included a mix of overhead lines, underground cables, sealing end compounds, and upgrades to the existing Shrewsbury substation.

To identify the most sustainable and least environmentally impactful route, alternative alignments and substation locations were explored within the preferred corridor. Consideration was also given to undergrounding sections and implementing alternative pylon designs (T-Pylon) in sensitive areas.

As a highly sensitive and contentious project, the scheme required careful navigation through the DCO process, alongside compliance with both Welsh and English planning frameworks. A key part of this process involved the application of LANDMAP to guide landscape assessment in line with Welsh policy expectations for linear infrastructure.

Gillespies played a key role in both the routeing and design strategy, ensuring that environmental and community impacts were minimised. Our landscape planners, in collaboration with Natural Resources Wales,  used LANDMAP data to assess the study area and guide decision-making.

However, in 2015, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) refused planning consent for four proposed wind farms in Mid Wales, which would have relied on this connection. As a result, the project was suspended.