# National Grid UK and NESO Launch Stage 2 Consultation for 400 kV Great Grid Upgrade Corridors Across Midlands and East Anglia

> National Grid Electricity Transmission, working in tandem with newly operational National Energy System Operator (NESO), has commenced an eight-week statutory Stage 2 consultation for major 400 kV reinforcement corridors connecting offshore wind landing zones to England’s industrial backbone.

- **Publish Date:** 2026-09-24
- **Category:** transmission-substations
- **Reading Time:** 5 min
- **Original Source Citation:** [National Grid Electricity Transmission & NESO](https://www.nationalgrid.com/the-great-grid-upgrade/midlands-east-anglia-stage-2-consultation-september-2026)
- **Tags:** National Grid, NESO, Great Grid Upgrade, 400 kV, Substation, Overhead Lines, UK Grid
- **Canonical URL:** https://voltformer.com/news/uk-neso-national-grid-stage-2-consultation-400kv-great-grid-upgrade
- **Markdown Source:** https://voltformer.com/news/uk-neso-national-grid-stage-2-consultation-400kv-great-grid-upgrade.md

## Routing Multi-Gigawatt Offshore Wind to Industrial Load Centers

The consultation outlines refined corridor alignments across Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, and Northamptonshire, comprising approximately 140 kilometers of high-capacity 400 kV double-circuit overhead lines and critical underground cable sections through environmentally sensitive terrain.

The project incorporates two new 400/132 kV air-insulated and gas-insulated bulk supply substations designed to interface with 525 kV HVDC convertor hubs carrying Scottish and North Sea offshore renewable power directly into central England.

## Technical Architecture and Supply Chain Preparedness

Under NESO’s updated transmission connection queue criteria, the strategic link will alleviate chronic thermal transmission constraints that incurred over £1.2 billion in annual renewable curtailment and balancing costs in recent operating periods.

Substation design packages specify low-noise 400 kV 1,000 MVA autotransformers equipped with synthetic ester dielectric fluid and digital gas-insulated switchgear to minimize physical footprint and operational life-cycle emissions.

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