Closes 28th November
National Grid is developing plans to connect new sources of electricity generation (new nuclear and offshore wind) into the National Grid, affecting Lancashire and Cumbria. A consultation has been launched and will run from 4th September to 28th November. A series of public informtion events are being held across Cumbria and Lancashire to explain the options, and people are being encouraged to sign up on the North West Coast Connections project website to be kept informed and to participate in the consulation.
Robert Powell, Project Manager said: “This is a very challenging project. We have to find a way of making these vital new connections in a way which treads as lightly as possible on the treasured landscapes of Cumbria and Lancashire. At the same time, we must be conscious of the impact of our work on people’s bills and the need to make sure that everyone in the UK has the electricity they need now, and for generations to come. We’re calling on the people of Cumbria and Lancashire to help us decide how to manage these competing demands. We promise to listen and to learn from what people say to us and then to seek to develop the project in a way which strikes the best possible balance.”
National Grid’s ‘emerging preference’ at this point is a route going north from the site at Moorside to Harker near Carlisle where it will join the existing network, and an onshore route southwards from Moorside (near Sellafield) across the Furness peninsula. The cable would then pass under Morecambe Bay in a tunnel which would emerge near Heysham in Lancashire to complete the new network link. However there is an opportunity to comment on other routes including an offshore route south through the Irish Sea, and an onland route around the South Lakes and North Lancashire but these have not been prioritised for consultation as percieved environmental and technical challenges make them less feasible.
National Grid’s press release, which gives more information can be downloaded here
To find out more about the project and the consultation and to register your interest in being kept up to date visit the project website here.
