Who Is My DNO? Northern Powergrid vs NGED Across Yorkshire, Notts & Lincs

If you've started looking into [solar panels](/solar-panel-installation/), a home battery, or an [EV charger](/ev-charger-installation/), you'll have come across three letters fairly quickly: DNO. It stands for Distribution Network Operator — the company that owns and runs the physical poles, cables and substations that bring electricity to your door.

Your DNO is not your energy supplier. You might buy your electricity from Octopus, EDF or British Gas, but the wires themselves belong to your regional DNO. And before any system that generates power (solar, battery) or draws a heavy load (an EV charger) can be connected, the DNO has to be told. Get the wrong DNO on your paperwork and your application stalls — so it's worth understanding who covers your address.

Across our 30-mile service area from Armthorpe, Doncaster, there are actually two different DNOs depending on which side of a roughly north–south line you live on. Here's how it breaks down.

The two DNOs that cover our patch

Our installs span two distribution networks:

• **Northern Powergrid** — covers South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, East Riding, North Lincolnshire and the North East. This is the DNO for the majority of our customers.
• **National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED)** — formerly Western Power Distribution, this covers the East Midlands, which includes Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.

The dividing line runs right through our area, which is exactly why we deal with both networks week in, week out.

Northern Powergrid towns (the majority of our area)

If you live in any of these, Northern Powergrid is your DNO:

• **Doncaster** and surrounding villages (Armthorpe, Bessacarr, Bawtry, Tickhill, Thorne)
• **Rotherham**, Maltby, Wath-upon-Dearne
• **Sheffield** and the wider city
• **Mexborough**, Conisbrough, Swinton
• **Barnsley** and the Dearne Valley
• **East Riding** towns and much of **North Lincolnshire** (Scunthorpe area)

So if you're looking at [solar panels in Doncaster](/solar-panels-doncaster/), [solar panels in Rotherham](/solar-panels-rotherham/), or [solar panels in Sheffield](/solar-panels-sheffield/), your application goes to Northern Powergrid. The same applies to a [battery storage install in Doncaster](/battery-storage-doncaster/) or an [EV charger in Sheffield](/ev-charger-installation-sheffield/).

NGED (East Midlands) towns

Cross the boundary into Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire or Lincolnshire and your DNO becomes National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED). That includes:

• **Nottinghamshire** — Worksop, Retford, Mansfield, Ollerton
• **Derbyshire** — Chesterfield, Bolsover, Staveley
• **Lincolnshire** — Lincoln, Gainsborough, Market Rasen

These towns sit at the edge of our radius and we install there regularly — the key difference is purely which network operator we file the paperwork with. The technical standards are identical nationwide; only the contact point changes.

Not sure which side of the line you're on? Every DNO maintains a postcode lookup, but honestly, it's something we confirm for you as part of the survey. Tell us your postcode and we'll know immediately.

Why your DNO matters: G98 and G99

Here's where it gets practical. Any system that can export electricity to the grid — solar PV, and batteries that can discharge to the grid — must be notified to your DNO under one of two engineering standards:

• **G98** — the *fit-and-notify* route for small single-premises systems, broadly up to **3.68kW per phase** (around 16A). Most standard domestic solar arrays and many home batteries fall under G98. We install the system and notify the DNO, usually within 28 days. You don't wait for permission.
• **G99** — required for **larger systems** above the G98 threshold. This needs an application to the DNO and **approval before** the system can be commissioned. Bigger solar arrays, larger battery banks, or homes already close to their network's capacity typically need G99.

Why does this matter to you? Because the route affects your timeline. A G98 job can be energised on installation day. A G99 application has to be submitted, assessed and approved first, which can take several weeks. If you've got a large [solar panel installation](/solar-panel-installation/) planned alongside [battery storage](/battery-storage/), knowing early whether you're G98 or G99 lets us set realistic expectations from day one.

What about EV chargers?

EV chargers don't generate electricity, but a 7kW charger is a significant continuous load, so DNOs want to know about them too. The framework here is the ENA Connect Direct / EV charge point notification process (often referred to alongside G99 procedures).

In practice, for a single 7kW home charger on most domestic supplies, notification is straightforward and we handle it. Where it gets more involved is when you're adding a charger to a property that already has solar, a battery, or a heat pump — the cumulative load may push you towards a formal application. This is one reason we always assess the whole picture rather than treating each [EV charger installation](/ev-charger-installation/) in isolation. If you're planning an [EV charger in Doncaster](/ev-charger-installation-doncaster/) on top of existing kit, that conversation matters.

The other standards every install must meet

DNO notification is one piece. Alongside it, every compliant install we carry out also meets:

• **MCS certification** — required for solar and battery if you want to claim the Smart Export Guarantee for your export power. We're MCS-certified.
• **BS 7671** — the UK wiring regulations (18th Edition). Every cable, isolator and consumer-unit change is done to this standard. We're NICEIC and NAPIT registered.
• **0% VAT** — residential solar, battery storage and qualifying installs currently benefit from zero-rated VAT, which we apply at the point of quote.

How we handle the DNO side for you

The good news is that the DNO process is almost entirely our job, not yours. As part of every install we:

1. Confirm your DNO from your postcode (Northern Powergrid or NGED). 2. Size the system and determine whether it's a G98 notification or a G99 application. 3. Submit the paperwork and, for G99 jobs, manage the approval before we commission. 4. Provide your MCS certificate so you can apply for the Smart Export Guarantee.

You don't need to memorise any of this — but knowing whether you sit on the Northern Powergrid or NGED side of the line helps you understand why a Worksop install might have a slightly different timeline to one in Doncaster.

Get clarity on your connection

Whether you're in Northern Powergrid territory across South and West Yorkshire, or NGED's East Midlands patch covering Notts, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire, AMP Pro Electrical handles the full DNO process as standard. We're MCS-certified and NICEIC & NAPIT registered, based in Armthorpe, Doncaster.

Book a free, no-obligation survey and we'll confirm your DNO, the right notification route, and a realistic timeline for going live. Call 0333 577 5464 or [get in touch via our contact page](/contact/).