UK: National Grid is expanding its use of Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) technology to unlock more capacity from existing power lines across England and Wales. Under a new five-year agreement, the technology will be installed across an additional 585 km of key north-to-south transmission routes, with potential savings of up to $68 M (£50 M) in constraint costs.
DLR works by continuously monitoring overhead line conditions, using real-time data on conductor performance and local weather rather than fixed assumptions. This allows operators to safely increase the amount of electricity carried on a circuit, typically by around 8 %, improving efficiency and reducing the need to pay generators to limit output.
The rollout will cover 345 km in the North East and a further 240 km across the Humber and East Anglia. Once complete, 39 circuits spanning more than 900 km of the network will be equipped with the technology.
Over the past five years, DLR has already delivered $28 M (£21 M) in savings and supported wider upgrades, including reconductoring and power flow controllers, which together have added over 16 GW of capacity to the grid.
Alice Delahunty, President of National Grid Electricity Transmission, said the initiative will help deliver a more resilient and future-ready energy system while enabling greater use of renewable energy.
The project is being delivered in partnership with LineVision, Ampacimon and Heimdall Power, with most installations expected by 2028.
Source: National Grid
