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Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Baroness Whitaker (Labour). It was answered on Wednesday, 22 November 2023.

Electricity Network Connection Action Plan

Question

My Lords, in declaring that I am in receipt of an IPT fellowship in wave energy, I thank the Minister very much for that reassuring news, but one consequence of the essential greater grid capacity could be many more unpopular and unsightly pylons. What thought have the Government given to supporting burying them, or to Andrea Leadsom MP’s proposed amendment to the then Energy Bill in the other place? The amendment said:

“Within six months of the passage of this Act, the Secretary of State must by regulations provide for a fast-track planning process for electricity pylons along motorways and rail lines”,

which would considerably lessen the visual impact.

Answer

I congratulate the noble Baroness on tabling her Question for today, which is a fantastic coincidence and shows her great foresight on this. She is right that the construction of new electricity infra- structure, particularly pylons, is a controversial matter, particularly in the communities that are affected. She will know that the Winser review made a number of recommendations as to how we can involve communities further and take them with us on these plans. We are taking forward all those recommendations.

Secondary information

Type
Oral question
Reference
834 c739 
Session
2023-24
Oral question type
1st Supplementary
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
Subjects
Electricity National grid
Link
View this Oral question on hansard.parliament.uk