National Grid Joins Northern Powerhouse Partnership to Support Investment, Jobs and Supply Chain Growth Across the North of England

National Grid has joined the Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP) to drive economic growth, jobs and skills across the North of England through a program of energy infrastructure investment.

As part of The Great Grid Upgrade, National Grid is making investments in the North to help deliver the secure power network required by Britain. The projects included are Eastern Green Link 1 and 2, Yorkshire Green and proposed developments like the Cross Border Connection and North Humber to High Marnham. Altogether, National Grid’s network investment is expected to support up to 55,000 jobs across the UK by 2030, with a share of employment generated in the North.

The investment is creating an economic enhancement for northern communities:

• On EGL2, construction partner BAM is creating around 200 jobs, including apprenticeships and engineering roles.
• A series of meet the buyer events for EGL1 and EGL2 has connected many northern SMEs with new contract opportunities on EGL2 and across National Grid’s wider portfolio.
• Businesses across the North are securing work in civil engineering, cabling, transport, environmental services, and technical design, ensuring the region captures long-term economic value from the transition to cleaner energy. On EGL1, METLEN, building the converter station, have to-date placed contracts totaling in the region of $224,570 to small and medium enterprises.
• National Grid is also investing in Grid Supply Point improvements to support Network Rail and wider transport infrastructure in the region as well as projects such as the replacement of overhead lines that cross the River Tyne with a new cable tunnel, helping to unlock economic growth in Tyneside communities and in the industries that rely on the river.

The partnership will allow National Grid to deepen collaboration with local leaders, industry and communities, ensuring the scale of upcoming investment translates into lasting jobs, skills development and resilient local supply chains.

“Our ongoing research on the jobs which will be created across the economy from the manufacture and deployment of Small Modular Reactors to running more electric and battery trains all depends on electricity transmission investment,” said Baroness Julie Elliott, Chair of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership.