Norwich to Tilbury has reached a significant milestone with the submission of its Development Consent Order (DCO) application
As demand for energy, including in East Anglia, is set to double, the Norwich to Tilbury project will deliver new capacity across East Anglia, a powerhouse of renewable energy, particularly offshore wind, but a region that has historically had limited transmission infrastructure.
National Grid has today submitted its application for a DCO. This submission marks the result of three years of public and stakeholder engagement, design refinements and environmental and land assessments. It's a landmark moment for National Grid and the region, part of our readiness to move from planning to delivery.
Norwich to Tilbury is a key part of a £30 bn nationwide transformation of a network originally designed for coal-powered energy. Meeting clean energy targets means urgently expanding our ability to carry clean power from where it’s generated, often offshore, to where it’s needed.
We are proposing to build approximately 180 km of new electricity transmission reinforcement between Norwich and Tilbury. This will be made up mostly of overhead line and pylons, along with some underground cables and two new substations.
This project is a part of The Great Grid Upgrade, which will increase energy security, protect homes, business and public services from global price fluctuations, and reduce our reliance on imported fossil fuels.
What is the Great Grid Upgrade
The Great Grid Upgrade is 17 major infrastructure projects that will both scale up the grid and update our existing networks. It will enable us to carry more clean, secure energy from where it’s generated – like out in the North Sea by wind turbines – to where you need it, delivering more homegrown British energy, supporting increased demand as well as boosting local economies, creating jobs, and providing cleaner, more affordable energy.
Development Consent Order application - the process
The Planning Inspectorate now has up to 28 days to decide if the application meets the required standards to be accepted for examination.
Click here to find the latest information on our application on the Planning Inspectorate’s website.
If our application is accepted, our submission documents will be published on the Planning Inspectorate's website. This will include a Consultation Report providing responses to the feedback submitted during the 2024 statutory consultation and the targeted consultations earlier this year.
The Planning Inspectorate will appoint an Examining Authority which will hold a six-month examination of our application. Local residents, landowners and our stakeholders will be able to register an interest at that point so they can provide comments and take part in the examination period. We will provide more information on how to take part if our application is accepted.
Following examination, the Examining Authority will prepare a detailed report along with its recommendation to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. The Secretary of State then has three months to decide whether to approve the application.
We expect the whole process to take around 18 months.
More information about our proposals is available on our project website.
Click here to watch a video on how Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects are refused or approved.
What happens next
Contact us
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