A SUBSTATION near Beverley that will carry power from three huge North Sea windfarms has been given the green light, amid growing unease about the amount of industrialisation the renewables revolution is bringing to the countryside.

Birkhill Wood substation will carry the equivalent energy to power over 4m homes from RWE and Masdar’s  Dogger Bank South East and Dogger Bank South West wind farms, as well as SSE Renewables and Equinor’s Dogger Bank D.

The substation, 700m to the north of the existing Creyke Beck substation, has been given planning permission by East Riding Council. The development is part of a £8.6bn investment in the grid “to boost network capacity, improve resilience, and support the growth of renewable energy”, National Grid said.

Construction has begun on a 2km access road, with work to begin on the substation in early 2027.

Birkhill Wood substation, situated 700m to the north of the existing Creyke Beck substation, is part of a major investment in the grid in the North East to boost network capacity, improve resilience, and support the growth of renewable energy.

placeholder image — Birkhill Wood substation, situated 700m to the north of the existing Creyke Beck substation, is part of a major investment in the grid in the North East to boost network capacity, improve resilience, and support the growth of renewable energy.

National Grid is also building a new substation at Creyke Beck, known as Wanlass Beck Substation. The privately-owned multinational utility company says it wants “host communities to see clear benefits, including community funding for local projects, skills, jobs, and environmental improvements.” 

However concerns are growing about the amount of industrialisation coming to the area and the lack of say local communities have.

Some 5,000 acres surrounding Beverley is earmarked for solar, connecting into the grid in the Creyke Beck area. Other infrastructure includes two converter stations, half as high as Beverley Minster’s towers, to handle electricity from wind farms, which will be built on the approaches to the town.

Clean Air Solar, one of four mega solar farms in East Yorkshire, is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project. The Planning Inspectorate, will oversee the planning process, with a final decision made by a Minister, rather than the local council.

The southern part, which includes a Battery Energy Storage System, will be on land near the connection to the grid at Wanlass Beck.

Beverley Civic Society said the town and surrounding villages are “facing an unprecedented concentration of major energy infrastructure proposals”.

Together “they represent a significant potential transformation of the landscape around our historic town, and raise important questions about cumulative impact, democratic accountability, and whether local communities retain meaningful influence over decisions that could shape this area for generations.”

Campaigner George McManus said: “What is driving all the solar and substation projects is private investment. It is fiscally neutral and it won’t cost the taxpayer to build these substations.

"They are going hell for leather to encourage private investment, without looking whether there’s demand for this, or at the impact on the environment, or local people.

"Our electricity is currently the most expensive in Europe, these developments won’t bring prices down.”

National Grid said they would “enhance on-site habitats where possible, with investment into other local biodiversity projects when necessary”. They didn’t say how much funding they would be offering through grants.