North Somerset power line could still be buried, says MP John Penrose

Energy bosses have not ruled out burying cables underground for a new 400,000-volt electricity line across North Somerset, says an MP.

National Grid wants to create a new overhead line from Bridgwater to Avonmouth to bring electricity from a proposed new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point on to its transmission network.

The power giant is looking at a series of options, along two 'route corridors.'

These could include decommissioning the existing 132,000-volt overhead electricity line, which runs parallel to the M5 between Bridgwater and Avonmouth, and adopting the same route for the 400,000-volt line.

The second option is to construct a new 400,000-volt line parallel to the existing line.

Another option to create a new power line to the east of the existing line is also being put forward.

Depending upon the final route, the new overhead line would be approximately 37 miles long and is planned to be finished in 2016 at a cost of around £2 million per mile.

The new pylons would tower 160ft into the air.

Residents and councillors across North Somerset are fighting the plans and have raised questions about why the cables cannot be buried or placed on the bed of the Severn Estuary.

National Grid said the cost of burying the cables was up to 17 times more expensive than putting them overground, but no costings for the work have been made public.

John Penrose, the MP for Weston-super-Mare, backed residents' calls and wrote to National Grid bosses, asking them to publish details of the costs of putting the cables underground or under the Severn Estuary.

He says they have told him the option of putting at least some of the cables underground has not been ruled out and have pledged to publish details of routes and costs.

Mr Penrose, whose constituency is crossed by the proposed routes, said: "Many people are rightly concerned about the environmental impact these new pylons could have, so we need to make sure that every option has been considered properly.

"Local people deserve to know the details so we can see for ourselves what the pros and cons of each one are and what the impact will be on our environment."

Residents are being urged to put pen to paper and write to National Grid with any concerns they have.

Exhibitions on the plans are being staged at three venues later this month, from 2pm to 4pm and 6pm to 8pm each day.

The venues are: Portbury Village Hall, Portbury High Street, on Wednesday; Trinity Primary School Community Hall, Marjoram Way, Portishead, on Thursday; and Sports Hall, Scotch Horn Centre, Brockway, Nailsea, on Thursday, November 26.

For further information, visit www.nationalgrid.com/hinkleyconnection.