Yorkshire Dales National Park welcomes completion of £1.3 million investment project

Yorkshire Dales National Park, home to some of the finest limestone scenery in the UK, has now seen the completion of a £1.3 million project, expected to boost its energy network resilience while preserving its natural beauty.

As an area that welcomes 8 million visitors per year, infrastructure introduced to The Yorkshire Dales will future proof its network yet remain undetectable. This is thanks to a national Ofgem funded programme to put overhead cables in National Parks and National Landscapes underground.

Kilnsey, Eastby, Grimwith and Grassington Moor have seen several upgrades, including the replacement of overhead electricity lines with invisible underground cables able to support electric vehicles, heat pumps and the wider transition to net zero.

This is also expected to further enhance the visual appeal of the area and has been carried out by Northern Powergrid over the last three years, working closely with Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.  

Today 19^th August, Mike Hammond, General Manager for the North Yorkshire region at Northern Powergrid said:

“In our North Yorkshire region alone, we deliver electricity to over 400,000 homes and businesses.

“Despite our broad customer base, our team works diligently to ensure that every project is tailored to the needs of the community it supports.

“With the Yorkshire Dales, we knew it was important to give the national park more modern infrastructure while keeping hints of the network discreet.

“We’re pleased to have carefully planned the project timeline, so that any work took place during off-peak tourist times.

“Now the project is complete, we’d like to extend our thanks to the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, North Yorkshire County Council and all of our customers for your ongoing patience throughout this project.”

On the investment, Richard Foster, Member Champion for Sustainable Development at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority added:

“We’re grateful to Northern Powergrid for all its hard work on this project and for leveraging this significant funding to help restore the natural beauty of this iconic part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. We also extend our thanks to the community of Upper Wharfedale, particularly in Conistone and Kilnsey for their patience and understanding throughout the works. The benefits of unrestricted views of this stunning area of the National Park are there for all to see, and with the lines now underground, supplies are much less likely to be disrupted by extreme weather events”.

To find out more about the work Northern Powergrid is carrying out in your area, please visit: www.northernpowergrid.com

Image caption: Kilnsey in the Yorkshire Dales by Wendy McDonnell