Electric pylon

LANDOWNERS’ leaders are calling for a re-think on burying cables instead of building more pylons and are suggesting the solution is cheaper than was previously thought.

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The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) argues that pylons scar the countryside and believes underground lines are more efficient in the long term as they lose less heat.

Underground cabling was ruled out as too expensive back in the 1960s, but since then costs have fallen because of development in new technology, especially in Europe where underground cables are used more often, it says.

Recent research suggests it will cost £4million per km over a lifetime for overhead lines compared to more than £20m per km for underground cables, but both technologies are just as expensive to mend if the cables break in the air or underground, it says.

CLA East regional director Nicola Currie says burying cables would be even cheaper if extra aspects were taken into account such as the impact on tourism, health and wildlife from pylons.

“We owe it to future generations to get this right. People come to East Anglia for the landscape and open skies,” she says. “The idea of more pylons running through the countryside is horrendous. And it all comes down to cost.

“Underground cables also cut costs in planning because they have less visual impact, and they are often able to take a much more direct route, and are therefore shorter.”

Public consultations are ongoing into controversial plans for 300 miles of new power lines.

Already some 27,000 miles of overhead electricity cables can be found in National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) that many want put underground.

The National Grid plans to build more than 200 miles of transmission connections over the next eight years.