Lincolnshire County Council’s legal department has written to National Grid requesting the data used to justify its claim that 400 pylons blighting our countryside are cheaper than seabed cabling.
The council believes the costing for the Grid’s proposal for pylons and substations across 80 miles of productive farmland between Grimsby and Walpole are fundamentally flawed.
Officers have already requested official costings twice and have been ignored by the Grid, which has cited commercial sensitivities.
The council, which is supportive of the need to route offshore renewables to UK communities to achieve net zero, believes the Grid’s ‘value for money’ claims may be flawed on the following grounds:
- They are deliberately using out of date costings to justify pylons over seabed cabling.
- They are ignoring indirect costs like the compensation they would need to pay to land and property owners, the extra infrastructure needed to allow for the maintenance of the network and the compensation that councils would claim for loss of tourism.
- They have not considered other alternatives like investing in existing pylon networks to boost their capacity.
The council has formally requested a response from the Grid on these points by 29 October, ahead of official consultations planned for spring next year.
Cllr Martin Hill OBE, leader of Lincolnshire County Council, said:
“We have been quite clear about the impact these proposals would have on the county if they came to fruition, and we deserve to have the full information to ensure that National Grid has truly considered all the options before decimating Lincolnshire’s countryside.
“The county council is experienced with dealing with commercially sensitive information, so hiding behind this excuse simply does not make sense.
“We believe their data is flawed, but if the Grid stands by the claim that pylons are a cheaper, they need to simply tell us how they have reached that conclusion – show us the figures.
“Upgrades to national energy infrastructure need to be done properly, and we’re seeking assurances for our residents that every option is being properly considered.”
Cllr Colin Davie, executive councillor for economic development, environment and planning, added:
“Along National Grid’s proposed pylon route there are communities who are worried about their homes, livelihoods and land.
“These residents cannot simply be told to ‘get over it because the country needs it’, as appears to be the new Government’s position.
“We understand the need to upgrade our energy infrastructure, but we don’t agree with making rash decisions to meet arbitrary deadlines. Especially when those decisions come at such a high cost to our county.”
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