Government accused of ‘bullying’ to get pylons built under Ed Miliband’s net zero drive
Energy Secretary has vowed to take on ‘the blockers’ as resistance to the masts grows across the UK
The Government has been accused of “bullying” in order to get pylons built under Ed Miliband’s net zero drive.
Labour’s plans to build thousands of new pylons in rural areas to meet clean power targets are sparking backlash in communities across the UK.
Mr Miliband, the Energy Secretary, has vowed to make the energy grid carbon neutral by the end of the decade, calling the proposed roll-out of new pylons, wind turbines and solar panels a matter of “national security”.
He has also vowed to “take on the blockers, the delayers, the obstructionists” in rhetoric criticised by campaigners stretching from Yorkshire to North Wales.
They have accused the Government of using “bullying tactics” to ride roughshod over local fears and force new pylon projects through.
Chris Whitfield, 72, said the issue is becoming a “constant nightmare” for him and other residents in Ardleigh, Essex.
The rural village lies in the path of one of the biggest planned projects, a pylon line more than 110 miles running through East Anglia from Tilbury, on the banks of the River Thames, to Norwich.
The proposals are for 520 pylons standing 50 metres high with large trenches dug around them at ground level.
Mr Whitfield said the structures would be “monstrosities”, adding: “We’re going to be surrounded. There’s not going to be anywhere in our parish that you won’t see these pylons.
“At the statutory consultation [earlier this year] there were people in tears about how devastating it’s going to be.”
The majority of the Norwich-Tilbury scheme could be based offshore, campaigners suggest, with smaller, less disruptive power lines coming inland.
Tom McGarry, National Grid’s deputy corporate affairs director, said the company was taking steps to minimise disruption, but the offshoring plan would be “four times more expensive”.
“Our projects have to be assessed by Ofgem through a consumer lens,” he said. “They have to provide the best value-for-money for all electricity bill payers.”
National Grid is still consulting on the plans in East Anglia, with construction due to start in 2027 if they are approved.
But the resistance to pylons is springing up across the UK, with local authorities in Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire also opposing similar projects.
Rosie Pearson, another opponent of the Essex pylon route, said there was a “groundswell” of support from other campaigns across the country. She accused Labour of “forcing any old project through come what may” and using “bullying rhetoric” to make it happen.
She told the PA news agency: “More and more people are talking about this, and becoming aware of the issue.”
Nonetheless, the grid upgrades were “urgently needed”, said Mr McGarry.
‘We need to effectively rewire Britain’
Many of the UK’s existing pylons and overhead power lines were built in the 1960s to carry electricity from coal-fired power stations in the Midlands and the North to the rest of the country.
Renewables are now the UK’s main source of power, meaning electricity needs to be transported from different places, like offshore wind farms in the North Sea.
The upgrades are also vital to Labour’s plans to decarbonise the grid by 2030, five years earlier than the Conservatives promised.
Mr McGarry added: “We need to effectively rewire Britain.”
Sir John Armitt, chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission, which advises ministers, said: “Our whole energy system is changing. We’ve got an old energy system based on a few very big power stations.
“We’re now into a much more local, offshore and onshore model… and we’ve got to connect it all up.”
But rows like this also underline the need for Labour to show it is listening to local groups, he added.
Sir John said recent Government messaging “sounds a bit like: You must listen. These are nationally important issues, and therefore please come to terms with this and accept it”.
He added: “If you don’t have a discussion with people you can’t be surprised if they get pretty antagonistic.”
A spokesman for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said the clean power transition would “require improving infrastructure in a cost-effective way to get renewable electricity on the grid”.
“Without this infrastructure, we will never deliver clean power for the British people,” they said.
They added that other solutions were “more expensive, and costs are borne by the electricity billpayer”.
The Telegraph: continue reading
••••
The Liberty Beacon Project is now expanding at a near exponential rate, and for this we are grateful and excited! But we must also be practical. For 7 years we have not asked for any donations, and have built this project with our own funds as we grew. We are now experiencing ever increasing growing pains due to the large number of websites and projects we represent. So we have just installed donation buttons on our websites and ask that you consider this when you visit them. Nothing is too small. We thank you for all your support and your considerations … (TLB)
••••
Comment Policy: As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. This also applies to trolling, the use of more than one alias, or just intentional mischief. Enforcement of this policy is at the discretion of this websites administrators. Repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without prior warning.
••••
Disclaimer: TLB websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
••••
Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Liberty Beacon Project.
Leave a Reply