Much of our electricity is transmitted via high voltage pylons and overhead lines. The transmission network, owned by the National Grid, currently consists of 22,000 high voltage pylons spaced across 4,375 miles (or 7,000 km) of overhead lines across England and Wales, most of which are in the countryside.

A recent Government policy statement on the future development of the nation’s electricity transmission network proposes that even more high voltage pylons and overhead transmission lines are erected.

CPRE National Office, working in alliance with Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales, Campaign for National Parks and The National Association for AONBs, is calling for a 'smart grid' to be developed, to make best use of existing energy resources and avoid harm to our most important areas of countryside.

A Smart Grid for Oxfordshire?

In March 2009, CPRE National Office in alliance with three other leading countryside campaign groups launched a campaign for major investment in smart electricity networks to avoid intrusive new infrastructure. The campaign aims to influence the Government’s promised vision for a ‘smart grid’ and a new national planning policy on the future of the nation’s electricity transmission network.

The alliance is deeply concerned that plans outlined in a major recent Government-backed report indicate that we could see many more pylons marching across the landscape in years to come. These would aim to serve a new generation of power stations, and extend across some of our most valued countryside.

The alliance’s manifesto 'A Countryside Friendly Smart Grid' is calling for:

any new high voltage transmission lines to avoid AONBs, National Parks, World Heritage Sites and Green Belt land;

the use of innovative new pylon designs, up to 33% shorter than for a typical high voltage pylon in the UK, in locations where high voltage transmission lines already affect our most important countryside or where new lines are unavoidable;

measures to reduce demand on the main electricity transmission grid, such as ‘smart meters’, encouragement for community and small-scale local energy generation, and further research on methods of storage of electricity; and

new offshore wind farms to be connected to the National Grid using underground cables to existing substations. The impact of substations on the countryside, including associated clutter and light pollution, should also be reduced as they are renewed or redeveloped.

Paul Miner, CPRE’s Senior Planning Campaigner, said: “We support the idea of a truly ‘smart grid’ – meaning both energy efficient and countryside friendly. We urge National Grid to drop proposals for new overhead lines in our most valued areas of countryside. We also want to see Government and industry doing more to reduce the impact of existing high voltage lines and other transmission infrastructure on the landscape.”

New evidence shows pylon plans need re-thinking

A new independent report has demonstrated that National Grid has greatly overestimated the costs of burying electricity cables underground. CPRE is now calling for current plans to build nearly 300 miles of new overhead cables to be re-thought.

The report found that although under-grounding electricity cables is more expensive then overhead lines, the cost is just 4.5 to 5.7 times more expensive, not 10 to 25 times more expensive as has previously been quoted by National Grid.

CPRE is now calling for power cables to be put underground in National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) and evidence shows the public is willing to pay more for this to happen.

Tom Leveridge, Senior Energy Campaigner for CPRE, says: “We believe we have been vindicated in our claims that National Grid has historically over-estimated the cost of undergrounding power cables.

“The evidence from this report shows that the current public consultations into nearly 300 miles of new power lines have been proceeding with inaccurate information. We want National Grid to call a halt to any planned construction and restart the consultation process but this time with the real costs and benefits made clear."

The report was produced by Energy consultants Parsons Brinckerhoff in association with Cable Consulting International, with the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) providing quality assurance.

See: CPRE National Office Press Release (31 January 2012)

What you can do

CPRE Oxfordshire is on the lookout for details and (digital) photos of the worst transmission lines in the county, for example, those that lie within AONBs or the Green Belt. The information will help us with our campaign to try and get some of these electricity lines put underground. If you have any information, please contact Becky Crockett.

See: 'A Countryside Friendly Smart Grid' (PDF)

Worst pylons in the county?

View from below Garsington in the Green Belt, photograph by Helena Whall.

Find Out More

Below are a list of links to further information regarding this campaign:

See: CPRE National Office policy on electricy pylons and overhead wires

See: CPRE National Office letter writing campaign against new pylons (external website)