NORTHWEST COAST CONNECTIONS PROJECT: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q Why do National Grid want to put up new giant pylons?
A They need to connect the proposed Moorside nuclear power station near Sellafield to the UK electricity supply.
Q Where are the new pylons going to go?
A Current plans are to put new giant pylons through the coastal section of the Lake District National Park, around the Duddon Estuary, through historic villages and local communities within the setting of the National Park.
Q How big will the new pylons be?
A Most pylons will be 50m high – taller than St George’s spire in Millom, about the same height as Nelson’s Column, and twice the height of existing pylons in this area. They will also be more than twice as wide at the base and carry 18 wires instead of six. Some of the pylons could be up to 65m high.
Q Why do they need to be this big?
A They need to carry 400kV voltage. Existing ones carry 132kV.
Q Aren’t there other methods they can use to avoid pylons?
A Yes, there are various other ways of connecting the power station – including tunnelling, undergrounding and offshore. National Grid’s proposals include a tunnel under Morecambe Bay but they are not actively considering other methods elsewhere.
Q If they can put a tunnel under Morecambe Bay why can’t they do the same for the shorter distance under the Duddon Estuary?
A We believe this can and should be done. National Grid has been asked to look into it; they said they would but after many months they have failed to do so.
Q I’ve heard the term ‘mitigation.’ What does this mean?
A Mitigation is action that National Grid can take to avoid or reduce the impact of new pylons. It includes the alternative methods mentioned above. Many respondents who at the last consultation supported the ‘onshore south with tunnel’ option – the one that National Grid is now pursuing – did so only with the proviso that there should be adequate mitigation in sensitive areas. National Grid has offered to plant trees!
Q Aren’t the alternatives much more expensive?
A Burying cable underground or taking the entire connection offshore are both more expensive options. However, the cost of connection is just a very small proportion of the total cost of the Moorside project. The cost differential between the different connection methods is therefore less significant.
Q Don’t they just have to use the cheapest method?
A National Grid is not a publicly-owned body and there is nothing that forces them to use the cheapest option. It is a commercial, profit-driven company with a major obligation to its shareholders. We don’t believe that outstanding landscapes and communities in Cumbria should be sacrificed for commercial gain when there are feasible alternatives. They are already proposing an option which is not the cheapest, involving the Morecambe Bay tunnel.
Q Won’t it mean higher electricity bills if they spend more on the connection?
A Based on National Grid’s own figures, the extra cost of taking the connection offshore would amount to an increase of only around 50 pence on the average annual electricity bill.
Q Why can’t the whole thing go offshore then?
A Most of the members of the public who responded to the last consultation supported the offshore option but National Grid dismissed this. They have not been consistent and have come up with various reasons for rejecting it – including cost, technical difficulties, safety concerns – which do not stand up to scrutiny. National Grid has never said that the Moorside connection cannot be done offshore.
Q Shouldn’t we be concentrating on fighting the onshore route proposals at this stage?
A Yes, we must do that. But we should still consider that the cost of adequate, effective mitigation is likely to outweigh the cost of the offshore option.
Q Isn’t campaigning and consulting just a waste of time because National Grid have made up their minds what they’re going to do?
A The decision is not National Grid’s to make. They need to submit a planning application to the Planning Inspectorate and this will be referred to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. To satisfy the Planning Inspectorate, National Grid need to demonstrate they have consulted fully and fairly with local communities and stakeholders and properly considered alternatives. They also need to show how they have responded to feedback and addressed any objections raised.
Q What’s the timescale?
A National Grid is holding its final public consultation at the end of summer 2016 (it has now been delayed twice). It will then submit a planning application in 2017. A decision is expected in 2018.
Q What can we do to stop a plan getting approved that will ruin this beautiful area?
A People can continue to put pressure on National Grid to find an acceptable solution. PWP will also gather evidence to put before the Planning Inspectorate, if need be, that alternatives have not been properly considered and that feedback has not been heeded.
You can:
· Write to your MP to ask for his support against pylons and help in influencing the decision
· Write to Rory Stewart, Defra minister with responsibility for National Parks
· Contact your parish council and county councillor
· Participate in the forthcoming consultation – the number of individual responses is key
· Attend National Grid information events – fill in a feedback form and take a photo of it
· Attend any public meetings with National Grid
· Add your name to any relevant petition
· Use social media to share your views
· Become a supporter: email us at and we’ll keep you informed
www.powerwithoutpylons.org.uk