Pylon proposals divide opinion as Welsh and UK Governments push on towards net zero targets

Earlier this month, an independent report, commissioned by the UK Government, made the case for households living in the path of new electricity pylons to be given cash payments, as part of a series of initiatives to speed up the planning process and deliver projects faster.

The report also supported the use of “community payments” for areas where new, visible infrastructure, such as substations, are built, which could be used to pay for local programmes, such as energy efficiency schemes or electric vehicle charging points.

The report’s author, the UK’s first Electricity Networks Commissioner, Nick Winser, was unequivocal that the UK’s efforts to hit net zero targets were being held back by the pace of new grid connections, an essential piece of the energy infrastructure jigsaw, as new wind and solar farms, as well as new nuclear stations, start coming online.

The queue for a UK grid connection is already the longest in Europe, while National Grid has warned that five times more power lines need to be built in the next seven years, than in the last 30, if we are to support a transition to greener energy.

The report has been a year in the making and the government has broadly welcomed its recommendations, having previously stated an objective of “halving” the 12-14 years it currently takes to build new power lines.

Support has also come from industry, with the Energy Networks Association, the industry body representing the UK’s energy network operators, describing it as a “major intervention” from the commissioner that takes a long-term view of the whole energy system. The response from the National Infrastructure Commission was similarly positive, welcoming “a single version of the truth” on future network capacity and citing the need for “transformational change” in our electricity network.

Introducing reforms that make it easier to consent new overhead power lines isn’t universally welcomed, however. Much has been made in the media of high-profile MPs, including UK Environment Secretary, Therese Coffey and former Home Secretary, Dame Priti Patel, opposing plans for new lines within their own constituencies, while campaign groups have criticised the use of community payments as “paying off” communities with nominal sums, rather than investing in the right projects in the right locations.

Looking at the picture here in Wales, the debate often feels even more heated. As the Welsh Government pushes on towards its target of 100% of our electricity being delivered by renewable sources by 2035, there has been vocal opposition to wind turbine and pylon proposals right across the country, with visible protests at this year’s Eisteddfod and Royal Welsh Show.

The Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales (CPRW) recently called for a pause on new onshore wind and ground-based solar farms, along with their accompanying grid connections, which it says are in danger of “industrialising” the Welsh countryside, arguing for a shift to offshore wind and rooftop solar installations in built up areas. It welcomed the move by Rural Affairs Minister, Lesley Griffiths, to block two solar farms near the Gwent Levels on bio-diversity grounds, but that decision is being challenged by the developers.

When Freshwater first got involved in delivering consultations on new energy and infrastructure projects, around two decades ago, the public was largely unaware of the science and many simply opposed plans ‘on principle’. The debate, as well as the climate science, has certainly moved on and people have a far greater understanding of the issues involved.  But the challenge for developers to persuade individuals and communities to see the ‘bigger picture’, when considering whether to support a project in their area, still remains.

The Winser Report advocates the use of payments as a means of reducing “widespread opposition” to strategically important projects. It also highlights the need for “transparent, respectful and efficient” engagement with local communities, while warning that continued delays in grid upgrades have the real possibility of hitting the public in the pocket through rising energy bills.

The Welsh Government says it is committed to supporting “a range of technologies” to deliver our future electricity needs but also wants local communities to gain directly from energy generated in Wales. Some communities are already benefiting, such as those living near RWE’s wind farm in Brechfa Forest, who made 86 successful applications for more than £1m worth of funding in the first three years of a fund set up in 2018. Wales’s largest wind farm, Vattenfall’s Pen y Cymoedd, set up a community fund worth £1.8m per year until 2043 to benefit projects and communities in the upper reaches of the Neath, Afan, Rhondda and Cynon valleys.

But while public opinion in favour of renewable energy has grown steadily, with two thirds of respondents to a 2022 Opinium poll saying they would be happy for a windfarm to be built near them, many fear the sheer scale of the transmission challenge is making pylons a battleground for hearts and minds.

Meeting the energy infrastructure challenge will top the agenda when policy makers and leading industry experts meet in Cardiff at the beginning of October, for the annual Planning for Infrastructure in Wales conference, organised by our sister company, Waterfront.

Compensation for communities, sympathetic siting and innovative technology will all play a role in delivering the urgent grid upgrade needed, but effective communication, education and a willingness from communities to host local infrastructure as a matter of national need will remain a crucial part of the net zero mission.

This article was written by our chief executive, Angharad Neagle, and featured in the Western Mail on 21 August 2023