The Labour party has pledged to “reconnect Britain”, presenting its argument to rural areas in the UK that they will facilitate the connection of farmers and businesses to the National Grid at an unprecedented pace.
The promise is being made amidst a disagreement between Rishi Sunak and the trade secretary, Kemi Badenoch, as well as former government officials who are pressuring him to stop the construction of essential power grid infrastructure.
At the CLA conference on Thursday, Steve Reed, Labour’s shadow environment secretary, will commit to expedite the construction of infrastructure (specifically, pylons) to provide rural communities with access to the grid. He vows to decrease the timeline for farmers and landowners to connect their renewable energy sources to the grid “from years to months”.
According to sources within the Labour party, they are willing to continue the battle over this issue, citing conversations with numerous farmers and landowners who have been waiting for years to be connected to the grid.
Renewable energy companies have to wait up to a decade to connect to the electricity grid. Local farms and businesses are also stymied by the slow connection times, which are the lengthiest in Europe.
However, there are concerns that a disagreement within the Conservative party over pylon plans may hinder Sunak’s efforts to accelerate grid connectivity.
An increasing amount of Conservative members have expressed worries about pylons, including former home secretary Priti Patel, who questioned in parliament this week why the National Grid cannot be constructed in the ocean.
The politician requested for officials to construct an offshore power network and remove unattractive pylons. Energy minister Andrew Bowie replied that an offshore grid would be costlier and lead to increased charges for consumers, but acknowledged the irritation of her voters.
Patel is a member of the Offshore Electricity Grid Task Force, which consists of 14 MPs advocating against pylons. The group includes Badenoch and Thérèse Coffey, the former environment secretary.
Badenoch urged government officials to consider implementing an offshore grid instead of erecting onshore pylons. In response, Coffey stated that while she recognizes the need for energy security, the government’s goal of producing 40 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030, she has consistently emphasized the importance of safeguarding our valuable landscapes and communities by carefully selecting the location for infrastructure placement. She also requested that an offshore grid be taken into consideration.
National Grid stated that constructing the grid on land would be four times less expensive. Additionally, the Norwich to Tilbury pylon project, which aims to enhance connections for numerous rural regions, would cost over £3bn more if it were built offshore.
Simon Cran-McGreehin, the head of analysis at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said an offshore grid without onshore pylons made no sense. He said: “The proposed grid investments already include coordinated undersea cables to connect up the UK’s vast offshore wind potential – but at some point those lines have to come onshore to reach customers, otherwise it’s like a ring-road without any routes into town.”
Angry citizens have formed groups to oppose the construction of pylons. In September, a large group of individuals gathered in Suffolk to protest plans for expediting grid connections through pylon construction. They expressed concerns that their community would be negatively impacted by the pylons and argued that renewable energy should be transported in an environmentally-friendly manner.
The deputy director of politics at the Green Alliance, Chris Venables, expressed the importance of a joint effort from all political parties to achieve energy independence. This can be achieved through adopting affordable and sustainable renewable energy sources. The high costs of fossil fuels have negatively impacted the economy and resulted in increased bills for many individuals. Therefore, the urgent construction of a power grid to support clean energy is crucial.
“People have valid worries about the role of democracy in the planning procedure, and it is important for communities to see the advantages of the energy transition. However, we cannot afford to delay the process. It is the responsibility of politicians to negotiate necessary agreements in order to make progress, rather than making impractical proposals for show. Until we break free from the current deadlock, countless individuals will continue to struggle with exorbitant energy costs.”
Source: theguardian.com
