A huge modernization of the UK electricity grid would see a multitude of pylons and cables carrying power from offshore wind farms across the UK.
Power lines from Anglesey to Swansea, Grimsby to Hertfordshire and Loch Buidhe to Spittal would be built to draw power from the sea to the mainland and then to households and businesses.
National Grid ESO said it was the biggest network upgrade in 60 years.
However, critics have called the £54billion project “short-sighted and shameful”.
There are now more than 11,000 wind turbines on and offshore, producing almost a quarter of Britain’s electricity.
National Grid ESO, which runs the electricity grid, said the plan it drafted would enable the government to supply 50GW of offshore wind power by 2030 – a third of Britain’s electricity needs – while also creating 168,000 jobs.
It has been claimed that the network could attract more than £50bn in investment over the next eight years.
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Although it did not specify whether the new onshore cabling would be above or below ground, it acknowledged that “the nature of the infrastructure required means the design cannot be without implications”.
Previously announced shore power lines, which have yet to be built, will span large areas of rural East Anglia, to the anger and dismay of some.
Rosie Pearson, a spokeswoman for the Essex Suffolk Norfolk Pylons group, said the plans had failed “abysmally” to address concerns from “over 21,000 who have signed a petition demanding to have this network offshore “.
“It’s short-sighted and shameful,” she said. “East Anglia is being put under the wheels, while significant additional offshore connectivity over much longer distances has been recommended for Scotland and northern England.”
Currently, most new offshore wind farms are establishing their own connection to the grid. But National Grid ESO said that a “holistic network design” would result in a more connected network.
This would reduce the environmental impact, saving consumers over £5 billion by 2030, it said.
Fintan Slye, the company’s executive director, said the plans are “an important step in providing peace of mind for offshore wind developers and mitigating potential impacts of energy infrastructure on the environment and local communities.”
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A number of new sites have also been proposed on the west coast of Scotland and Lincolnshire “which will have an impact on coastal communities,” according to the report, which details the proposals.
It added that public consultations and environmental assessments were needed, and the BBC understands MPs from likely affected areas were briefed by National Grid ESO earlier this week.
These grid upgrades are deemed essential to accommodate and integrate a new batch of renewable energy projects, also announced on Thursday.
A total of 23 gigawatts (GW) of electricity – 24 million homes worth from the current 24 million homes – was awarded this morning to bidders looking to build new renewable energy plants.
At the auction, offshore wind prices hit a new record low of a quarter of the current cost of electricity generated from gas.
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