National Grid : Consultation on North West Coast Connections project draws to a close

06 Dec 2016

• New connection needed to link Moorside the new nuclear power station proposed in Cumbria into the electricity network

• Detailed plans on show at the remaining consultation events

• People urged to give their feedback to help shape proposals before consultation closes on 6 January

National Grid is staging its final round of consultation events in Cumbria this month to give people the opportunity to help shape plans for the project to connect the proposed new nuclear power station at Moorside in Cumbria into the electricity network.

The company has nine more events scheduled in communities along the route of the proposed connection in December. These give people the opportunity to look at detailed plans and to talk to members of the North West Coast Connections team.

The closing date for feedback on the scheme is 6 January 2017.

Robert Powell, Project Manager said: 'We have been talking to key groups and local communities about our project for six years now and we're having hundreds more conversations now with people about our plans during this latest consultation exercise.

'It is really important that people give us their feedback as this is likely this will be the last time we ask for people to comment on our plans for the connection as a whole. We expect to be in a position to apply to the Government next year for permission to build the connection.'

National Grid is planning extensive measures to reduce the impact of the project on landscapes while balancing this with the need to keep customers energy bills affordable. These include:

• putting 23.4km (14.5 miles) of new line underground in the western section of the Lake District National Park

• placing cables in a tunnel measuring around 22km (13 miles) under Morecambe Bay

• removing many of the existing pylons owned by Electricity North West (ENW) and replacing them with fewer, taller pylons of its own operating at a greater voltage

• replacing the low voltage line in the area around the Hadrian's Wall UNESCO World Heritage Site with underground cables

Robert added: 'We've worked hard to develop a project which we believe strikes the best balance between reducing the impact of the project on the environment and the cost of building the connection which is passed on to energy bill payers.

'People still have the chance to influence our proposals but we only have a small number of consultation events remaining. People will be able to visit our website for information and submit their feedback until 6 January 2017.'

CONSULTATION

National Grid's consultation will run until 6 January 2017. Between 15 November and 10 December there are 20 consultation events taking place (see Editors Notes for full list). People can also take part online on the project website and register their details for updates as the project progresses.

The project website can be found at: www.northwestcoastconnections.com

For further information about the project, please contact the project team direct using any of the following methods:

• Freephone: 0800 876 6990
• Email: nationalgrid@northwestcoastconnections.com
• Freepost: Freepost NG NWCC