National Grid has announced a major expansion of Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) technology across its electricity transmission network in England and Wales. A new five-year contract will see the technology deployed across an additional 585km of vital north-to-south transmission routes, a move estimated to save consumers up to £50 million over the next five years.

Traditional electricity transmission lines have historically operated using "static" line ratings based on conservative and fixed weather assumptions. In contrast, DLR uses sensors to continually monitor overhead lines, calculating real-time capacity based on actual conductor behaviour and local weather conditions. This allows for a safe and reliable increase in power-carrying capacity by an average of 8% on existing infrastructure.

By maximising available capacity, the technology reduces the need for constraint payments—costs incurred when generators are paid to stop producing electricity to prevent network overloads. The new installations will target three network boundaries: 345km of line in the North East and 240km across the Humber area and East Anglia. This rollout brings the total coverage to 39 circuits across more than 900km of the National Grid network.

This initiative is part of a broader suite of innovations being deployed by National Grid, including advanced power flow controllers, artificial intelligence for real-time data centre energy adjustments, and drones for maintenance data collection. Between 2021 and 2026, DLR installations have already saved £21 million in constraint costs and contributed to adding over 16GW of new transfer capacity.

-- Advertisement --

The project is being delivered in partnership with LineVision, Ampacimon, and Heimdall. Most installations are expected to be finished by 2028, with many sensors being mounted to live power lines via drones to avoid the need for planned outages.

Alice Delahunty, President of National Grid Electricity Transmission said: "By embracing innovation and using cutting-edge technology such as Dynamic Line Rating we are unlocking greater capacity on our existing network and enabling more renewable energy to flow to homes and businesses. Integrating grid-enhancing technologies such as these will deliver significant savings for consumers by reducing constraint costs and is an important part of our work to upgrade the grid to deliver a resilient, future-ready energy system."

Vishal Kapadia, Chief Executive Officer at LineVision, added: "National Grid and LineVision pioneered DLR in the UK and US. Our work together is already saving consumers millions per year by optimising transmission capacity and we are excited to expand our ability to deliver the critical grid intelligence necessary to unlock additional savings for customers and growth opportunities for the UK economy."

Nabil Khouya, Chief Product Officer at Ampacimon, stated: "We are proud to be selected by National Grid to expand the rollout of Dynamic Line Rating technology across its Network . By safely enabling greater integration of renewables and reducing congestion on the grid , our drone-installed sensors and associated software platform will play a key role in supporting National Grid's vision for a reliable, affordable and decarbonised electricity system."

Jørgen Festervoll, CEO of Heimdall Power, said: "Dynamic Line Rating is one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to unlock capacity on the existing grid. We're proud to support National Grid in scaling this technology, enabling more power to flow where it's needed while reducing costs for consumers and accelerating the energy transition."

The expansion follows eight years of testing. Following successful implementation in the US, a two-year trial was conducted on a 275kV circuit in Cumbria between 2022 and 2024. In 2025, the technology was expanded to nine further circuits between Penwortham and Daines, and Norton to Thornton, increasing the capacity of over 275 kilometres of conductor.