The National Grid has begun major upgrade work at its Didcot substation in Oxfordshire to accommodate rapid data center and energy storage growth in the region.

Located near the former Didcot A Power Station, the site is positioned to support a proposed large-scale data center development and increased activity from the UK’s first AI Growth Zone in nearby Culham. The project includes expanding the existing 400kV air-insulated substation with three additional bays and three supergrid transformers.

A new 132kV gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) building will also be constructed, using Hitachi Energy’s EconiQ switchgear as a lower-emissions alternative to SF₆-based systems.

According to Peter Hancock, project director at National Grid Electricity Transmission, the upgrade is intended to strengthen local and national support for digital infrastructure and energy transition goals.

The improvements will additionally enable up to 650MW of new battery energy storage capacity, aimed at increasing flexibility across the UK grid. Engineering contractor Linxon has been appointed to deliver the substation works, continuing its existing collaboration with National Grid on projects including the London Power Tunnels.

The Didcot expansion follows recent construction activity at the new Uxbridge Moor substation, expected to serve more than a dozen data centers upon completion in 2029. National Grid has reported a surge in data center connection requests, projecting up to 19GW of new demand by 2031—approximately half originating from the digital infrastructure sector.

Source: datacenterdynamics.com