Pylons across South Norfolk
How can you help?
Keep the pressure up. Write an email to your local MP. For most it will be R Bacon richardbaconmp@parliament.uk
Use this as your guide:
An integrated offshore grid in the North Sea would provide much needed certainty to the wind farm industry, right now.
This email is not about the CFD process. It is to remind you that an easy win for the government would be the immediate implentation of an offshore grid for the whole North Sea.
It would show Government commitment to the wind farm industry, offering the developers certainty, significantly reduced costs and no further requirement to engage with the tortuous planning process onshore.
Not only is now the perfect time to make an announcement, but it is also the perfect time to implement an offshore grid. You will be aware that Vattenfall has put Boreas on hold. In addition, as we understand it, it has not yet made a Final Investment Decision about Vanguard and nor has Orsted made one about Hornsea 3. Meanwhile, North Falls has reduced the size of its proposed wind farm significantly AND it will now be further offshore. Thus North Falls' costs will be higher while its output will be lower. North Falls has committed to an offshore connection if one is available.
As you also know, an integrated offshore grid in the North Sea would save £2bn overall and reduce infrastructure offshore and onshore by 50%. You are aware, too, that Bradwell has a disused substation and disused pylons which could be repurposed.
An integrated offshore grid would not only fulfil Prime Minister Sunak's leadership promises to reduce onshore infrastructure and improve offshore transmission networks, but it would be a win:win election announcement - good for government, good for the industry, good for the environment, good for communities. And therefore good for voters...
Yours etc…
Latest news and Updates below
New consultation april 2024
On 10th April National Grid launched its third consultation, the Statutory one. That's a precursor to it submitting a planning application, known as Development Consent Order (DCO).
You will feel angry and disillusioned because National Grid will have ignored 28,000 people, the region's MPs, our councils and a great many parish councils who have been asking for two years for due process to be followed and for alternatives to the pylons to be presented for consultation.
You will be horrified by what will be set out in the consultation documents. There will be a haul road the length of the pylons, access roads, traffic management plans for all the heavy vehicles trying to get through rural areas from main roads. There will be vehicle compounds and all sorts of things you never thought of. We will see the sheer scale of destruction of habitats. We see where the exact proposed route of the pylons is. Where the route is to be undergrounded, where the 120m wide (yes, 120m wide) swathe is to be.
We can channel that anger into positive action. Ask people to donate to our campaign, sign the petition and respond to NG's consultation (but not until the end of the consultation when we have our experts' reports back). Attend drop-in events. Work with your parish council to identify all the harms caused by the project in your parish so that a detailed submission can be sent to NG. And ask your councillors and MPs to continue to work together for the good of East Anglia and to avoid thinking only about their patch...
The Pylons group have been preparing for this consultation. It's no surprise to us that NG has chosen to ignore everyone. They've assembled an expert team: Lord Charles Banner KC, who has been an excellent adviser for two years; a heritage consultant, a landscape consultant and a GIS expert.
Listen to this morale boosting video message recorded by 'The Consultation Guru', Rhion Jones, who knows more about consultation law than anyone, probably!!
Find the video at this link - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1u68Vcbi0C0nZmM-P0w_4l8BMiD-dFVhd/view?usp=sharing
a video for the cause
February 2024
This film 'COAST' was made especially for SEAS (Suffolk Energy Action Solutions) by Ralph Fiennes and Director Charles Sturridge to support the campaign for an offshore grid.
November 2023
History & heritage survey
We need to establish what the harm will be to heritage assets along National Grid's Norwich to Tilbury pylons & undergrounding route.
The group has created a survey which allows you to describe, in your own words, the setting of any heritage asset near you, and the harm which might arise from pylons/undergrounding. It is really, really important that we gather this data.
What's a heritage asset?
A building, monument, site, place, area or landscape identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions, because of its heritage interest
The results will form part of our submission to the statutory consultation, which might now be as early as Q1 2024.
You can submit the survey more than once, for several assets, if you're keen, and/or encourage your friends, neighbours or parish council to complete one.
August 2023
Article in Express Newspaper
July 2023
Below is the text of a mailout sent this week by Sir Bernard Jenkin, chair of the OffSET group of MPs who are campaigning against the pylons and for an integrated offshore grid.
It was written for his own constituents, but is equally valid across the whole region.
MESSAGE READS AS FOLLOWS –
You are receiving this email as one of the many hundreds of concerned residents of Harwich and North Essex who have contacted me about various aspects of the Norwich to Tilbury pylon proposals. As ever, I am sorry for the impersonal nature of this update but I want to keep residents informed on my work on the pylons issue. I continue to be inundated with emails, not just from the many of you who have heard from me before on this issue, but also from many new correspondents less aware of my previous campaigning against the pylons.
The House of Commons has risen for the Summer Recess but there is no conclusion to the most significant disagreement I have ever seen between the Conservative MPs in Essex and wider East Anglia, and the Conservative Government over the issue of the pylons. Earlier this month, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero floated the proposal that planning guidance for the national grid should be changed to speed things up. This is both chilling but also evidence of the effectiveness of the pylons campaign, which has been so ably coordinated by Rosie Pearson. I had hoped for a meeting of the Offset MPs with the Secretary of State before we rose for the recess and while this was his aspiration, Mr Shapps has been unable to deliver and is now promising a meeting in September. However, there are other developments to report.
On Wednesday, Offset MPs met the Chief Executive of Ofgem, which is the regulator that controls investment in the National Grid. Ironically, Philip Brearley’s previous job was Chief Executive of the Climate Change Committee, which is the independent watchdog body monitoring the Governments progress towards Net Zero by 2050. None of us in that meeting disagrees with that objective. But we made plane that the now-revised Norwich to Tilbury proposals are most likely to delay Net Zero achievement because there is so much despair and anger across the whole region. There will be unlimited money for court challenges and judicial review, and it is not possible to quantify how much this will delay this much needed investment.
Offset has been arguing that the off-shore options, which have only scantily been assessed so far are likely to prove much easier to implement and therefor quicker, and also better value in the longer-term. This is because they rep[lace a piecemeal approach with a coherent strategy to connect offshore windfarms with off-shore undersea continental interconnectors. They also take electricity generated offshore straight down to the Thames Estuary, which futureproofs the system for further investment. A strategic approach would also take account of the proposed hydrogen hub at Harwich-Felixstowe (which requires substantial electricity supplies for hydrogen generation) and the possibility of new generating capacity at Bradwell, which is simply not anywhere in National Grid’s present plans.
We all agreed that the September meeting with the Secretary of State should be a round table of all the parties- National Grid, the electricity supply operator, the windfarm investors, Ofgem, DESNZ, Offset MPs, and chaired by the Secretary of State. This has led me to suggest to Grant Shapps that he needs to do far more than just revise the planning guidance. The department has recently appointed an experienced National Grid engineer, Nick Winser. I hope he will also be at our September meeting. We need to understand that the climate crisis is an emergency, like Covid. Just as we had a vaccine taskforce to cut through the bureaucracy to develop the vaccines we needed, the recent years have proved we need a National Grid taskforce to accelerate the massive investment required in order to replace carbon-generated electricity generation with green alternatives. This is also necessary or energy security, so that we also pay less for electricity imports.
But there has been another minor bombshell. Vattenfall is a Swedish company which was planning a massive investment in North Sea wind, until this week. They have now put their plans on hold. This certainly begs the question: is Norwich to tilbury now necessary in its present form at all? Does this give us a breathing space to develop the offshore alternatives that will mean our voters can support the Government’s Net Zero proposals?
I will keep on the case and update you all again when the various aspects of this campaign progress. For now, I wish you all a good summer and hope you find some serenity outside in our wonderful Essex countryside.
March 2023
National Grid backs down and will now look at options to 180km of 50-metre-high pylons across East Anglia
Following a major U-Turn by National Grid over its initial proposals to construct 180Km of 50 metre-high pylons across East Anglia without seriously considering options like offshore cables – the company has now agreed to conduct a new transmission review over the next few months.
Rosie Pearson, founder of the Essex Suffolk Norfolk Pylons action group, hailed the U-Turn as an important step forward in the fight to win agreement to a coordinated offshore grid, but remains highly critical of the protocol around the review process.
She said: “It’s a double-edged sword at this point. Whilst we obviously welcome the change of heart, we are far from happy that National Grid has not yet postponed its planned second consultation process. It is crazy that the company plans to go ahead with the second consultation about pylons when its own division is running the review process. NG must delay that second consultation until the review results are known - if not it would appear that the review is not independent in the slightest - and that the pylons decision has already been made.”
The review decision comes after months of campaigning by pressure groups including Essex Suffolk Norfolk Pylons, backed by local MPs and a 23,000-strong petition. Top planning King’s Counsel Charles Banner recently slammed the National Grid initial consultation process as ‘a deficient consultation exercise that has really been no more than one of ‘back-checking’.
Pearson said: “We now need to ensure the review covers all our key questions and concerns. There has been an ever-rising tide of public anger and concern about this pylons plan – and East Anglia action groups including ESN Pylons, Suffolk Energy Action Solutions (SEAS), Norfolk Parishes Movement, Stour Valley Underground, East Anglia Alliance of Amenity groups and Dedham Vale Society stand united in the battle to switch pylon construction s from overhead to undersea.”
” We do welcome news that the review will now be conducted in accordance with the four required design objectives; economic and efficient costs, deliverability, environmental impact and local communities impact. Each of these must be considered on an equal footing, in line with the overarching Holistic Network Design objectives.”
James Cartlidge MP for South Suffolk revealed to a 150-strong audience of concerned residents at a recent ‘East Anglian Renewable Revolution’ event that the new NG review will now include community input.
Essex Suffolk Norfolk Pylons group has now requested an early meeting with National Grid ESO (Electricity System Operator) at which it will demand the new review includes:
- A fully coordinated offshore grid. (In the UK there have been reports in 2011, 2015 and 2020 which showed that such coordination is beneficial for consumers, communities and the environment.)
- An investigation into offshore energy islands for associated infrastructure.
- Full survey of, and consultation on, brownfield sites for landing points.
- A study of all alternatives to new overhead lines through countryside, including directional drilling, under-grounding, following existing infrastructure and/or power lines, increasing capacity of existing 400kv lines to 800kv or higher.
- Evidence of all associated impacts - environmental, socio-economic, heritage, health (including mental health), and carbon/climate change impacts (following Treasury Green Book guidelines)
- Scalability of solutions for the long-term
- Full cost breakdown of all alternatives, to include totality of infrastructure and cost. (ESN Pylons group says NG continues to ignore the findings of its own NG ESO’s report in 2020 , which found that a coordinated offshore grid costs c.£5bn, while a continuation of the status quo costs c£7bn.
- A study of future resilience of the network to 2050.
- Full independence. Actions groups demand the review be transparent, unbiased and with all background evidence openly provided for scrutiny.
A National Grid ESO spokesperson said: “ Alternative transmission reinforcement options will be developed by National Grid Electricity Transmission and will include onshore and offshore options that meet required network need.”
However, campaigners think it does not go far enough so are asking we keep pressure on our MPs.
Please will you email your own MP saying something like this:
Dear (your MP…) MP
I am hugely grateful for the time and effort you have put in to lobbying for an East of England transmission review, and delighted that National Grid ESO will now carry out a review.
However, it is clear that the scope of the review is too narrow. It will need to include:
- Forecast wind farm capacity in the North Sea to 2050
- All wind farm projects and interconnectors in the region from scoping to pre-construction
In addition, there will need to be independent scrutiny of the findings, in particular given that project costings are to be supplied to NG ESO by NG Energy Transmission.
You have received a briefing note from the Essex Suffolk Norfolk Pylons action group which sets out full details.
Thank you once again for all your help campaigning for an offshore grid instead of pylons and I look forward to hearing from you how we can ensure that the review does what it should.
Yours sincerely
-----------------------
South Norfolk MP is Richard Bacon
richardbaconmp@parliament.uk
Feb 2023
National Grid have published a newsletter to update their original introduction to EA GREEN. It may be found here
There is a lot of empty rhetoric about “listening to consumers” and “concern for communities”, but the main takeaway from this document is that the next public consultation, sometime this spring/summer, is to be another NON – STATUTORY one, a surprise since the original plan was for the statutory version to be implemented.
This change is a significant win for the campaign, it means there will be a significant delay, perhaps up to 12 months, in the processes that NG are obliged to follow.
Nov 2022
National Grid have requested Scoping Reports, sent to all statutory bodies along the route of the propose EA GREEN project.
Buried in the detail is a list of sites , determined by NG themselves, apparently to assess the visual impact of the pylons.
It is clear that there are huge gaps on the map. It is wholly inadequate to use only 41 locations to assess the visual impact of a 180km proposal with 50-metre high pylons.
A quick glance at your own local area will likely show viewpoints missing. Your local knowledge will tell you where there are viewpoints that National Grid should consider adding.
The campaign group has made an info page and map giving the opportunity for you to respond, by adding to the list with locations where the impact would be detrimental.
The Essex Suffolk Norfolk Pylons action group has created a very easy form that you can fill in and submit to them with your local information - which they will also be able to map
Here is NG's interactive map: https://eastangliagreen.participatr.io/index.php...
*WHAT NATIONAL GRID'S REPORT SAYS:
National Grid says that there a large number of 'potentially highly sensitive visual receptors' in its study area for the East Anglia GREEN pylons project. These include:
- people living and moving around settlements and scattered communities;
- people engaged in outdoor recreation such as those using national and regional cycle routes, long distance walking routes/ regional trails, local PRoW and open access land;
- people visiting Registered Parks and Gardens, promoted tourist destinations such as viewpoints, publicly accessible cultural heritage features of interest, public parks, golf courses and recreation grounds;
- people travelling along the road and rail network.
This is another excellent opportunity to leave NG in ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT that we will not simply allow them to do as they please in regard to this project.
If you have recieved a letter from National Grid requesting access to your land to carry out surveys, please could you help by filling in this form letting the group know where you live and when you received the letter.
You may have seen news coverage or received a mailing from The National Grid in May, about the 'East Anglia Green Energy Enablement (GREEN) Project.' a proposed High voltage power line coming through Norfolk, Suffolk & Essex. SNGP are against this way of transporting the power across our countryside. Please click links below for more info.
The use of the term “GREEN” is at best misleading, and at worst potentially fraudulent – nothing about the placement of 50-metre-high pylons and high-voltage cables in unspoiled countryside may be considered as green.
Please sign the petition
Consultation - response by Thursday 16 June 2022. This is now closed.
There is an East Anglia website on it here
Lots of discussion across Norfolk Suffolk & Essex on a Facebook page
The “overview” document regarding the project is available online here:
The full consultation paper (124 pages) is available online here:
An 'interactive map' allowing you to zoom into part of the route is available here: (best viewed on a computer screen rather than a phone.)
Thank you for your support
