North-South Wales Electricity Connection


posible North-South Wales pylon line

Developer: National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET)

The National Grid publication issued in January 2025, Wales: Future Network Blueprint, describes its strategy for the transmission grid and includes a new link between North and South Wales. Even before this there were a number of references to the possibility and need for a North to South connection to carry electricity from the Western Scotland under-sea link terminating in North Wales, down to a grid connection either at Swansea or Llandyfaelog.

Targetted for after Ofgem's RIIO T3 period which ends 31st March 2031, so expected date around mid 2030's. It will most likely be a 400kV line on 50m steel lattice pylons, as typically used for major transmission lines.

Very little information about this is available. Although no specific details have been released and the route is currently unknown, gradually a number of factors are emerging. Dr Jonathan F. Dean, trustee of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales, has examined these in detail in order to determine a probable route, while accepting that can be no certainty for some time yet. His analysis gives us the best available picture of the future proposals.

The under-sea link from Scotland, known as Western Link 2, will probably come onshore at Aberdesach and then connect by underground cable to the Pentire substation near Bangor, joining the existing National Grid 400kV North Wales network. National Grid have plans to upgrade the North Wales lines and substations, including Bodelwyddan in Denbighshire which is a likely candidate for the start of a North-South line. There are also planned underground lines to connect off-shore wind farms in the Irish Sea to the upgraded Bodelwyddan substation.

From Bodelwyddan the line would run south, probably via new substations that would enable connections for further renewables proposals, to near Newbridge-on-Wye and then follow a similar south-west route as the proposed Towy-Usk line.

Although there is no confirmed information, construction of an overhead line of this scale would pose an even greater threat to the landscapes of Wales than the 132kV pylon line proposals that we already know about.


from National Grid :


References (external, open in new tab):

National Grid Transmission: Wales Future Network Blueprint (PDF)

National Grid Transmission: Western Link 2

CPRW article about the North-South line