Hundreds of miles of new cables and pylons will be needed across the UK for the country to meet its net-zero goals, the head of National Grid has said.
Infrastructure needed for electric cars, heat pumps and industrial electrification would have to be built at a much faster pace than in the past, according to John Pettigrew.
“We will need to build about seven times as much infrastructure in the next seven or eight years than we built in the last 32,” added the National Grid CEO.
Electricity cables running from new wind turbines off the east coast to parts of southern England where the power is required will be necessary if the Government is to hit its target of a 400% increase in offshore wind.
The UK Government has set the target of decarbonising the power system by 2035 and becoming a net exporter of electricity by 2040.
The Telegraph says plans for 110 miles of pylons stretching from Norwich in Norfolk to Tilbury in Essex have already created controversy among residents and concern about the impact on the landscape and local nature.
Speed up construction
Speaking to the parliamentary business committee on Tuesday, James Richardson from the National Infrastructure Commission, said it was vital to speed up the construction of power lines to connect offshore wind and meet the Government’s 2035 goals.
“That involves some quite difficult decisions. You’ve got to decide, for example, where you’re going to land those resources on the coast and communities will have strong views on that,” he told MPs on the committee.
“You’ve got to build more power lines across the country, and that’s not always popular either.”
Guy Newey, a former government energy adviser, told the committee that net-zero would require that the electricity system double over the next 20 to 30 years.
“Planning is a real barrier to the likelihood of success of meeting the 2035 goal,” he said. “It’s incredibly slow at the moment, for all types of different assets, not just offshore wind, but almost everything.”
Power lines are a controversial subject in Scotland.
Dividing opinion in Scotland
The upgraded power line stretching 137 miles from Beauly to Denny near Falkirk still divides opinion several years after becoming operational.
It was in 2007 when a public inquiry opened into the proposal. By the time it closed 11 months later, it had heard 300 witnesses. It also dealt with 17,295 objections to the plans for a 400,000-volt overhead electricity transmission line to replace the existing 132,000-volt line.
Behind the project was Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission, a subsidiary of Scottish & Southern Energy, and SP Transmission, a subsidiary of ScottishPower.
Supporters said it was crucial for the future of the renewables industry in Scotland. They argued the increased capacity was needed to take power from wind farms and other green energy developments in the Highlands and Islands to markets in the south.
Opponents called it an “unnecessary act of vandalism” and likened its impact on the Highland landscape to taking a razor blade to a Rembrandt.
Approval was given in 2010 and the line became fully operational in 2015.