Balfour Beatty has secured an order from National Grid to deliver the initial phase of the Birkhill Wood 400kV substation in East Yorkshire, UK.
The contract is part of National Grid’s £8bn ($10bn) Electricity Transmission Partnership, an initiative to accelerate substation infrastructure development across England and Wales to support the transition to cleaner energy sources.
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Under the contract, Balfour Beatty will undertake Early Contractor Involvement activities, including detailed design and enabling works to prepare the site ahead of main construction, which is currently scheduled to begin in 2027.
The enabling works are already under way.
The Birkhill Wood substation is intended to connect new electricity generation sources to the national grid, including offshore wind farms planned in the North Sea.
Once complete, the substation is expected to strengthen the UK’s electricity network and provide enough renewable energy to supply around four million homes.
The planned site for the new substation is located approximately 700m north of the existing Creyke Beck Substation.
The decision to locate the project at this site considered nearby overhead line routes and the planned North Humber to High Marnham grid upgrade.
The substation will use Gas Insulated Substation (GIS) technology, which allows most equipment to be housed within a single building and requires a smaller overall footprint than traditional Air Insulated Substation (AIS) structures.
Site constraints made an AIS solution unfeasible, so the project chose GIS.
East Riding Council granted planning permission for the substation in February this year.
As part of the grid connection, the project will install two new pylons, each around 40m high, along the route of the existing overhead line near the Birkhill Wood site.
The project will also erect temporary masts to bypass the existing line during construction.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero granted approval for the diversion, required under the Electricity Act 1989, in March 2026, alongside the Compulsory Purchase Order.
The overall substation project is expected to create approximately 200 jobs at its peak, including opportunities for apprentices and graduates.
Balfour Beatty power transmission and distribution business managing director Tony Wilson said: “Upgrading the UK’s electricity network is essential to connecting more renewable energy and meeting future demand for secure, low-carbon power.
“We are pleased to continue our partnership with National Grid, drawing on our extensive experience and expertise to deliver the Early Contractor Involvement and enabling works that will help bring this nationally significant project forward.”
Earlier this month, Balfour Beatty sold its 50% stake in Hong Kong contractor Gammon Construction to a wholly owned subsidiary of Jardine Matheson for £250m ($331m).
