National Grid - North West Coast Connections project
Put your questions about National Grid's power lines proposals to a company spokeswoman. The session runs from 12noon to 1pm.
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Hi, Jeanette Unsworth from National Grid's North West Coast Connections Project here to answer your questions. A bit about us - our job is to connect people to the energy they use; from the warmth and light we use in our homes to the power that drives the country's businesses. -
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Josh, We'll be doing our very best to ensure that it won't. That's why we're consulting extensively across Cumbria and Lancashire on our proposals. We'd welcome feedback on the options we've put on the table. You still have until 28 November to give us your comments on our website www.northwestcoastconnections.com or you can ring us on freephone 0800 876 6990 and we'll post you information. we'd really value your views.
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Allan, we can put lines underground and this is something we will be considering at the next stage of the project. At the moment, we're focusing on the route which the new connections could take. Underground cables are expensive to lay and to maintain but are certainly something we'll be actively considering using in the most sensitive locations in Cumbria and Lancashire. Early days in the planning process yet, but pleaseshare your views and be part of it!
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Geoff, consultation is open until 28 November. We've been speaking to FoLD about this project for over five years and have had discussions with the umbrella organisations representing parish councils across Cumbria and Lancashire in addition to some parish councils. We've had some views in but not all at this point and once consultation closes, we'll be very carefuly analysing the feedback we've received to help us home and refine the project.
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Geoff, we've already said that our emergeing preference is for an option which features a tunnel below Morecambe Bay to avoid routing overhead lines around the South Lake District - this certainly isn't the cheapest option. Cost has to be a consideration obviously, but our aim is to strike the best possible balance between protecting treasured lansdcapes, helping keep electiricty costs down and making sure everybody has the electricity they need at the flick of a switch.
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Christine, what we are saying is our preference at this stage in the project is to looki t building new lines to follow the path of existing lines where possible. We could then look at removing some of the existing lines if this is the option we take forward. But we're still consulting and have made no hard and fast decisions yet.
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Tony, we are under scrutiny from the public, politicans, local government, government departments and a whole host of special interest groups on this project. We have to be open and honest about our proposals. If government do not believe that we've shared information or consulted properly, they could refuse to consider our eventual application to build new connections.
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Allan, we all want energy security. Old power stations are closing down and we need low carbon sources of energy to fill the gap. This is what our project is all about. Finding a way of making these new connections in a cost effective way will help control the costs passed on to consumers.
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Colin, you know the saying ' you can't please all of the people, all of the time'? Well this is the position we are in. We will have to work hard to find a solution that suits as many people and organisations as possible, but we'll never make everyone happy.
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Christine, it means we have a number of options on the table but the one we think will work best and strike the right balance in terms of cost v landscape is the one we've identified as our 'emerging preference'. We've made no firm decision if this will be taken forward - that's why we're out to consultation to see if people think our preference is the right one for them too.
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Jenni, I appreciate your point and am sure thousands of other people do too. We've got the tricky job of trying to find the right solution here. People want beautiful views wherever they go in Cumbria but don't want to see their electricity bills increase astronomically. We're working to find a solution which strikes the balance but ultimately, the Government will decide if the proposal we develop to achieve this balance is the right one.
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Sceptical, we're a long way off the construction stage of this project but we are committed to ensuring that Cumbria businesses help us build the connections when we get to that point. Our best estimate is that construction will take place between 2018 and 2026.
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Josh, by making it easier for new businesses to get the electricity supplies they need to establish and expand in Cumbria. By creating what we call a 'pwer ring' around the coast of Cumbria, it allows new power generators to set up. This ties in with Cumbria's ambition to become 'Britain's Energy Coast'.
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Josh, we could put all lines underground but it would have a massive impact on consumer's bills,. Also laying underground cables can have a significant impact on the environment - causing far more disruption to landscapes than the placing of pylons. On other major National Grid projects, we have committed to put lines underground in sensitive locations and this is most certainly something we would consider in the Lake District.
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The Grid is to spend £500m removing 'unsightly' pylons from areas of natural beauty across England and Wales - none from the county that has a national park and more AONB and SSSIs than anywhere else. Why is this? Why is the plan to introduce MORE and BIGGER pylons here, rather than run cables underground. There is obviously money to do this. Why couldn't that £500m have been spent on this new project to ensure the new supply wouldn't impact on Cumbria?
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Christine, the money is available to take existing lines down in AONBs and National Parks. Some of these are very unsightly and were built back in the days when planning controls were very different. This is why we're committed to undertaking extensive consultation about our proposals for Cumbria and Lancashire. We need to demonstrate in this day and age that we have listened to what people have had to say and shaped our proposals to reflect their concerns about valued landscapes.
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The government will look very closely at the work we've done to develop a proposal for new connections. Local authorities across the two counties will be asked for their opinion on the quality of our consultation and the outputs from it. They have already been to many of our consultation events and are the government's eyes and ears on the ground. The government has targets to achieve for low carbon generation and this project has a vital role to play in helping hit these targets.
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Frank, we'd love to speed it up but we have to make sure people have a decent opportunity to have their say on our proposals. New nuclear power could meet a significant portion of our country's energy needs in future but the government is keen to achieve a mix of generation, so wind and solar will continue to play their part too.
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Josh, we desperately need new sources of energy to meet growing demand and to make up for the fact that lots of old coal powered generation is closing down. We need new sources of low carbon energy to keep the lights on and the goverment has targets it needs to hit to make sure they stay on.
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Sorry Jeanette, I repeat:
Why is the plan to introduce MORE and BIGGER pylons here, rather than run cables underground. There is obviously money to do this. Why couldn't that £500m have been spent on this new project to ensure the new supply wouldn't impact on Cumbria? -
Christine, if we do build new overhead lines, there would be fewer pylons, albeit bigger ones, as our taller pylons are spaced farther apart than the existng lower voltage ones. Our regulator, Ofgem, has taken the decision to allocate £500m specifically to reduce the visual impact of lines in some of the country's most sensitive locations. We will be seeking to strike a balance between cost and visual impact when we put forward our final proposals for our project. I would stress that making use of options such as underground cables is certainly something we will be considering when we look at the most sensitive areas of the Lake Distrist and other protected landscapes touched by our project.
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Nicola, we have to make connections both to the north and the south of Moorside to give the security that we could continue to export power from the plant if anything happened to one of the connections. The shortest route would have a massive impact on the National Park. We've listened to a large number of local, regional and national bodies and most of the local authorities in Cumbria and Lancashire in arriving at the options we have on the table at present. Please let us have your views too - www.northwestcoastconnectionsNWCC
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We've been talking to the two county councils and all the more local councils for around five years now about this project and we've been very grateful for the way in which they have represented their interests to us to help us shape the options we're currently consultating on.
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