A £1.5 MILLION investment in York’s electricity network is being planned by Northern Powergrid to support the greater use of electric buses and electric vehicle charging.

The same investment is planned in Harrogate, and another £5 million will be invested in Wetherby and £6.5 million at the Scotch Corner junction to unlock large-scale solar generation potential and enable future rapid electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

The investment is part of the national 'Green Recovery' scheme, under which up to £300 million is being made available for investment in electricity networks across the country to fast-track future developments that will 'electrify the nation’s seas, skies and streets in the race to net zero.'

A spokesperson for the the Distribution Network Operator said it submitted 14 projects for investment to Ofgem and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and secured approval for all.

They said the scheme would boost economic activity and bring forward more green jobs, help with the regional response to the climate emergency by unlocking network capacity to directly support decarbonisation and growth.

“This is targeted investment in the region’s energy networks, which will kick-start projects and increase prosperity across the North," said Patrick Erwin, of Northern Powergrid.