Campaigners furious pylon consultation continues despite review into route through East Anglia

Bosses have been urged to call off the consultation

Author: Sian RochePublished 22nd Mar 2023
Last updated 22nd Mar 2023

Energy bosses say they won't stop planned consultations for a proposed 110-mile-long line of pylons across parts of the Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex countryside, despite a review of the route being carried out.

Campaigners who've opposed National Grid’s East Anglia Green plans for the pylons to carry electricity from offshore wind farms have called for the public consultation, the second for the project, to be stopped.

The demand follows the announcement of an independent review into the project, which will consider offshore routes, which campaigners prefer, as well as the previously identified path which would see a line of 50m-high pylons run from Dunston, just south of Norwich, down to the Thames Estuary.

But National Grid (NG) bosses have said they will continue with the current proposals while the review is carried out.

It is being conducted by the Electricity System Operator (ESO), a legally separate part of NG.

"Far from happy"

Rosie Pearson, founder of the Essex Suffolk Norfolk Pylons action group, said: “We are far from happy that National Grid has not yet postponed its planned second consultation process.

“It is crazy that the company plans to go ahead with the second consultation about pylons when its own division is running the review process.

“NG must delay that second consultation until the review results are known – If not it would appear that the review is not independent in the slightest – and that the pylons decision has already been made.”

What does National Grid say?

A spokesperson for National Grid said: “We are aware of the ESO’s review and will carefully consider its findings against our proposals.

“While we await its outcome we are continuing to develop our current proposals in East Anglia.”

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