Pylons ‘will wreak havoc on precious landscapes’

PRECIOUS landscapes could be blighted by poorly designed pylons and power lines under plans to allow energy firms to compete to build new electricity infrastructure, campaigners fear.

An overhaul of the way the electricity grid is constructed, expected to be included in an energy Bill in the Queen’s Speech on Wednesday, could “wreak havoc on the countryside”, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) claims. Ministers want to allow regulator Ofgem to hold competitive tenders for contracts to carry out major upgrades on the electricity grid, such as connecting up new power stations.

Upgrades are paid for by consumers via their energy bills and are currently carried out by monopoly network companies. Ministers believe introducing competition will help reduce costs.

But the CPRE fears the law will en- courage firms to offer the cheapest possible options at the expense of the environment. Kim Hagen, the charity’s senior energy campaigner, feared the change would result in “badly designed pylons that cut through our landscapes and blemish their beautiful skylines”.

The CPRE is already unhappy at plans by National Grid, which manages the electricity transmission network in England and Wales, to route pylons for a new nuclear power station through the Lake District national park. The company has so far rejected calls to bury cables underground for most of the route because it is too costly.

The CPRE fears that the proposed changes will result in even fewer cables being laid underground.

Ms Hagen said: “Pressure to reduce cost will almost certainly mean that less funding is available for minimising the impact new transmission lines will have on the landscape. The Govern- ment’s proposals arguably present the biggest change to the way the grid is constructed since the nationalisation of the grid in 1947. Plus, we are facing some of the biggest upgrades to the grid since the 1960s.”

A spokesman for National Grid said that it supported the introduction of competition “where it is clear that consumers and communities will benefit” but warned: “The impacts on the environment and landscape must also be considered.” An Ofgem spokesman said: “Our criteria for selecting a winner will not be based on price alone. We will also consider how bidders have approached environmental issues and engagement with stakeholders before selecting a winner.”

Competition would help drive down the costs, so actually providing “scope for more projects to consider undergrounding than would otherwise be the case”, he added.