National Grid is starting work on a new 275kV substation that will connect Sunderland’s new gigafactories into the electricity transmission network.

The Hylton Castle substation will provide a new grid connection for Nissan, AESC UK and Sunderland City Council’s EV36Zero electric vehicle hub at IAMP, which brings together EV manufacture, battery production and a renewable energy microgrid.

IAMP spans 150 hectares of land across both Sunderland and South Tyneside local authority areas, and is backed with £42m from the Government through the Local Growth Fund and North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Alice Delahunty, president of National Grid Electricity Transmission, said: “Plugging the site directly into our transmission network – the electricity superhighway that spans England and Wales – will deliver it a firm supply of power 24/7, and enable its operations that will support jobs and prosperity in the area for years to come.”

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