Laing O’Rourke signs new contract with National Grid
20.08.26Laing O’Rourke has been appointed by National Grid to upgrade Letchmore Heath, Elstree, and St Johns Wood substations to help strengthen the electricity network across North West London and the surrounding areas.
The upgrades form part of National Grid’s North West London Upgrade, which will deliver critical improvements to the resilience of the existing transmission network and increase the network’s capacity.
This work builds on Laing O’Rourke’s partnership with National Grid, having been appointed as construction partner to the Great Grid Upgrade in 2024.
This latest scheme of works will provide modifications to 400 kV equipment and install and relocate National Grid assets at both substations. These upgrades will support the transmission of increased offshore energy production as part of the government’s Clean Power 2030 action plan and provide resilient power supplies for London and future data centres in the region.
The work involves major design and construction interface with the Letchmore Heath substation project, which Laing O’Rourke began delivering in March 2025. Combining these two schemes will bring efficiencies across design, construction, logistics and commissioning.
This work builds on Laing O’Rourke’s partnership with National Grid, having been appointed as construction partner to the Great Grid Upgrade, Wimbledon Asset Replacement, and Margam and Port Talbot substations.
We will be utilising our digital tools to enable our teams to deliver safely and efficiently on site. These critical upgrades are just part of our ongoing work with National Grid to provide more secure energy for the UK.
The North West London Upgrade is a nationally significant investment that will strengthen the electricity network, unlock new connections, support economic growth across the and help keep long term energy costs down for consumers.
Working closely with our delivery partners and supply chain, we're bringing together substations, cables and tunnels, and overhead line reinforcement in a single programme to deliver the infrastructure needed to power future homes, businesses and digital industries and electricity demand rises.