Latest news with #pylons
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Reform UK's Lincolnshire leaders reject 'low-height' pylons plan
Reform UK leaders in Lincolnshire have pledged to use "all our local powers" to prevent the construction of a new overhead electricity Grid has announced revised plans for the 87-mile (140km) route between Grimsby and Walpole, including "low height" pylons on one stretch, amid concerns about the potential impact on the a joint statement, Lincolnshire major Dame Andrea Jenkyns, country council leader Sean Matthews and Boston and Skegness MP Richard Tice said the scheme prioritised cost over the environment and would have a "devastating impact".National Grid said it was working with communities to "shape the plans and minimise the impact on the local landscape". Under the new proposals, the height of pylons would be reduced from 50m (164ft) to 40m (131ft) along a 4.3-mile section of the route in the Lincolnshire Wolds, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. 'Devastating impact' The Reform statement called on National Grid to halt the plan and "pursue less intrusive solutions". "Lincolnshire will not be a dumping ground for outdated and ugly infrastructure. Nor will it be a dumping ground for net-zero projects," it Grid has argued that the cost of the pylon scheme would be £1.6bn, compared with at least £4.8bn for an underground cable and £4.2bn for a subsea previous Conservative administration of Lincolnshire County Council criticised the utility company for a lack of transparency over costs and urged energy watchdog Ofgem to scrap the plans.A spokesperson for National Grid said the existing electricity network did not "have the capacity to deliver the increasing demand for electricity". The Grimsby to Walpole project would lower electricity bills and the overhead line proposal was "far cheaper than alternatives", they added.A consultation on the plans will run from June 11 to August 6. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
11-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Revised Lincolnshire pylon plans announced
Revised plans for electricity pylons in Lincolnshire have been announced. National Grid has updated its proposals for an 87 mile (140km) line of pylons between Grimsby and Walpole in Norfolk. The initial plans, which are part of The Great Grid Upgrade, faced opposition from councillors and residents due to concerns over their impact on the landscape.A public consultation into the new proposals, which include low-height pylons on a section of the route, will run from 11 June to 6 August. In January 2024, National Grid announced plans to install 420 pylons from Grimsby, through the Lincolnshire countryside, to is one of two overhead line projects being proposed in Lincolnshire, the other one running from Weston Marsh to East Leicestershire.A National Grid spokesperson said the projects would "help connect more home-grown British energy, boosting local economies, creating jobs, and providing cleaner, more affordable energy".The spokesperson said the pylons between Grimsby and Walpole were needed because the existing network does not have the capacity to carry the energy being generated. Updated proposals Following an initial consultation, the company has revised the plans to include low-height pylons on a 4.3 mile (7km) section of the route to reduce the impact on the Lincolnshire this section, the height of the pylons will be reduced from 50m (164ft) to 40m (131ft).The proposed route has been changed to avoid wind turbines, a solar farm, Boston Aerodrome, and Strubby new route also aims to reduce the potential impact on users of The Thomas Centre, a holiday park for users with special educational needs and disabilities, and avoid close proximity to residential Muncey, project director for Grimsby to Walpole, said: "As our demand for electricity grows, this project will connect our homes, businesses and public services to sources of home-grown British energy which will lower our electricity bills in the long-term and make us more energy independent."The feedback was critical to refining the proposed route and we look forward to engaging the community around the updated plans." The Weston Marsh to East Leicestershire project involves overhead power lines from a proposed substation at Weston Marsh, near Spalding, to a connection point 37 miles (60km) away in eastern consultation, two substations, instead of one, are now being proposed and the new pylon route will be 37 miles (60 km) long and use 50m eight-week consultations, where people can share their views on the projects, will run alongside each other until Wednesday 6 August. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
National Grid starts new consultation over 50-metre high Norfolk pylons plan
Fresh consultation has started over controversial plans for a new electricity line with 50-metre pylons bringing power into Norfolk. National Grid has updated its plans for the 86-mile Grimsby to Walpole electricity upgrade, which would transport power from north east Lincolnshire to a new substation in the Walpole area of west Norfolk. The pylons would be 50 metres tall (Image: Press Association) The substation, which would also take power from the proposed Eastern Green Link 3 and 4 schemes, would be built north of Walton Highway, with 50-metre high pylons carrying the overhead line. After consultation last year, National Grid has made changes to its plans, including reducing pylon height close to the Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape by 10 metres. However, proposals in the Walpole parish, which includes the villages of Walpole St Peter, Walpole St Andrew and Walpole Marsh, have not been revised. A new substation is planned in the Walpole area (Image: Ian Burt) Members of the public will get another chance to have their say when eight weeks of further consultation starts this week. Ben Muncey, project director for Grimsby to Walpole, said: "As our demand for electricity grows, this project will connect our homes, businesses and public services to sources of home-grown British energy, which will lower our electricity bills in the long-term and make us more energy independent. "We thank everyone who commented on the initial proposals during our last round of consultation. "The feedback was critical to refining the proposed route and we look forward to engaging the community around the updated plans." North West Norfolk Conservative MP James Wild previously criticised the plans and questioned why cables could not go underground. North West Norfolk MP James Wild (Image: Laurie Noble / UK Parliament) National Grid bosses said that would be more expensive and overhead cabling is the "starting presumption" under government policy. National Grid intends to submit an application for development consent in 2027. It hopes to start construction in 2029. The route of the Grimsby to Walpole project (Image: National Grid) Under government guidance, communities where new electricity infrastructure is built could receive £200,000 of funding per kilometre of overhead electricity cable and £530,000 per substation. People can give feedback at until Wednesday, August 9. There will also be events at Walpole Community Centre from 1pm to 7pm on Friday, July 18 and in Tydd St Giles Community Centre from 11am until 4pm on Saturday, July 19. Consultation documents will be available in King's Lynn and Wisbech libraries and in Walpole Community Centre. The plans come as campaigners in south Norfolk oppose separate proposals for pylons stretching from near Norwich to Tilbury in Essex.
BBC News
27-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
National Grid urged to spare oak tree during pylon works
National Grid has been asked to spare a 300-year-old oak tree threatened by plans to build pylons across oak, known as Henry by residents in Rivenhall, and several smaller trees lie on the planned 114-mile (183km) route between Norwich and councillor James Abbott said nature faced a "very significant threat" in the area of Braintree he National Grid said it was yet to make a final decision about how it would route pylons through Rivenhall. "We continue to make changes to the proposals following the feedback received and our own surveys," a spokesman added. Campaigners feared vast gantries would be installed around Henry while the 50m-high (164ft) pylons were built in Church asked National Grid to adjust the route so the historical tree could be spared the this year, National Grid revealed "minor adjustments and tweaks" would be made to the locations of about 30 sites following feedback. 'Crass solution' Abbott said people should also consider the impact of access roads needed to build the pylons."It's the access roads that pose a very significant threat to those trees and also the clearance swathes," he opposing the pylons plan were dealt a blow in April when a report found they were cheaper than burying cables underground or at said he thought it was a "crass solution" to harnessing more renewable Grid stressed it was listening to communities and more than 13,000 pieces of feedback it received over the wider plan. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Miliband considers fewer pylons amid net zero backlash
Ed Miliband is considering scaling back plans to erect thousands of pylons across the countryside to reach net zero. The Energy Secretary has ordered electricity grid planners to examine whether fewer overhead wires would be required throughout the countryside if the power market were broken up, The Telegraph understands. Sir Keir Starmer previously argued that building new pylons in rural areas was a necessary step to bring down the cost of electricity as part of the drive to reach net zero emissions by 2050. However, the Government has already diluted other green policies, including a ban on new non-electric cars by 2030, amid a growing backlash from voters, unions and Labour MPs. The decision to commission a government study comes as Labour faces pressure in rural areas from Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, which has accused the Government of spoiling swathes of countryside with a 'spider's web' of pylons and cables. In Lincolnshire, where Reform has seized control of the local mayoralty and the county council in May's local elections, Mr Farage and his deputy, Richard Tice, have vowed to wage legal warfare against planned green energy projects. Mr Tice warned ministers last week: 'We will attack, we will hinder, we will delay, we will obstruct, we will put every hurdle in your way. It's going to cost you a fortune, and you're not going to win.' The National Energy System Operator (Neso) has estimated that £60bn worth of upgrades are needed across the electricity network under Labour's plan for a clean power system, including 4,000 miles of new undersea cables and another 1,000 miles of overland power lines. This is expected to add up to £30 a year to consumer bills. Neso has now been told to examine whether the scope of this work can be dramatically cut by switching to a regional, or so-called zonal, electricity pricing system. This would see households pay different prices for electricity based on supply and demand in their area, in an effort to encourage investment in green power near to where it is needed most. Zonal pricing supporters say this would cut down the distance between power stations and homes and businesses, lessening the need for cables spanning the country, while also lowering the cost of net zero as fewer cables would be needed. Mr Miliband is understood to have already been shown an analysis by private sector consultants that claimed zonal pricing would result in savings of 'tens of billions of pounds' and almost 2,000 fewer miles of wires. A Neso spokesman did not deny it was looking at the issue, adding that the quango 'continues to provide advice to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on a range of topics including on the review of electricity market arrangements'. Ministers have previously vowed to 'back the builders, not the blockers', with Sir Keir Starmer telling the public to expect more pylons as a 'trade-off' for cheaper power. However, the prospect of slashing the number of pylons needed to reach Labour's goal would allow Mr Miliband to claim he was reducing both the impact on rural areas and the cost to bill payers. Whether or not Britain should break-up its electricity market and shift to zonal pricing has become the subject of a fierce battle within the energy industry. Opponents including wind farm owners Scottish Power and SSE have warned Mr Miliband that the reforms risk plunging their investment plans into uncertainty and endangering his target to have a clean power system by 2030. But advocates including Octopus Energy, the country's biggest gas and electricity supplier, claim it would cut prices for all households overall. Under the current national electricity pricing system, power is sold for the same price everywhere on the wholesale market. However, experts say the price is inflated by bottlenecks in the grid, which lead to wind farms being paid to switch off in one part of the country and a gas plant fired up in another – at great expense. This has cost households and businesses £437m so far this year already, or about £3.2m per day, according to data compiled by the Wasted Wind website. Advocates of zonal pricing say it would send wholesale prices plummeting in areas such as Scotland, where wind power is abundant, although it would also risk higher prices in London and the South East. The Telegraph previously revealed that officials have advised Mr Miliband to back the reform, although sources close to the Energy Secretary have insisted he has yet to make up his own mind on the matter. He is expected to make a decision within weeks, although the study by Neso raises the prospect of delays. A spokesman for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: 'In an unstable world, the only way to guarantee our energy security and protect consumers from future energy price shocks is by moving towards homegrown power. 'We are considering reforms to Britain's electricity market arrangements, ensuring that these focus on protecting bill payers and encouraging investment. 'We will provide an update in due course.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
