Suffolk County Council has objected to the proposals for National Grid’s East Anglia GREEN pylon run.
A new network is needed to deliver electricity between Norwich, Bramford and Tilbury, to cope with the increasing amounts of renewable and low carbon electricity being generated around East Anglia.
The National Grid’s East Anglia GREEN proposal would see many pylons installed across the county, affecting the Suffolk countryside and its communities.
However, the council does not support this proposal as it stands believing that there are better ways to manage the project by involving an undersea network, which has not been fully investigated.
The council has been campaigning for government ministers and officials to introduce a more coordinated offshore approach to meet the demands of all the energy projects in the region.
Councillor Richard Rout, Suffolk County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for finance & environment, has written to the Minister of State for business, energy and clean growth: “The council absolutely supports ambitions for renewable energy and the government’s commitment to meet the target of net-zero by 2050. We recognise the benefits that can come from this project, and we continue to work with the government to develop coordinated off-shore transmission.
“However, the council objects to the proposal for National Grid’s East Anglia GREEN as it stands. I am determined that Suffolk will not suffer unnecessarily as a consequence, we will continue to protect our communities, residents and natural environment.
“Suffolk County Council has been lobbying government for 11 years on the issue of better coordination for off-shore transmission. We are demanding that a more collaborative solution is found to manage the different network connection requirements coming into Suffolk and East Anglia and that all network options are fully explored.
“Alongside other regional councillors and MPs, through our OffSET group (the Off-Shore Electricity Grid Task Force), we regularly speak with government ministers and officials to express our concerns about the impact of these projects on Suffolk, and East Anglia. Last week I wrote directly to the Minister, to continue to represent Suffolk’s communities and residents, to re-emphasise the recent points made by OffSET.”
National Grid’s first round of public consultation on the East Anglia GREEN scheme ended this week on June 16.
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