Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Offshore Wind: East of England

Tuesday 28 November 2023 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Priti Patel raised concerns about constituents' anger over National Grid's proposal for 100 miles of pylons and overhead powerlines between Norwich and Tilbury.
  • The Minister acknowledged hearing the frustration and concerns of Priti Patel's constituents and noted that the ESO is responsible for electricity network design.
  • Dave Doogan questioned the need for onshore pylons for north-south energy transmission, suggesting subsea transmission cables as an alternative.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Priti Patel Con Witham
Climate Energy Environment
Context

The question arises from concerns over the National Grid's proposal to install pylons and overhead powerlines between Norwich and Tilbury, which is seen as an ill-thought-out solution.

Question

My constituents are angry about the ill-thought-out proposal by National Grid to impose 100 miles of pylons and overhead powerlines between Norwich and Tilbury. Will the Minister share with me, the House and my constituents what work he is doing to ensure that the Government do all they can to encourage National Grid and developers to build an offshore grid that will provide more investment and growth in renewables, and pull the plug on these awful pylons?

Answer from Andrew Bowie

As my right hon. Friend knows, I visited East Anglia a few months ago and I plan to visit again. I hear the frustration and the concerns of her constituents, which she has brought to the House today. As she knows, the ESO remains responsible for electricity network design. Offshore routing is more expensive and the costs would be borne by consumers across the country. However, we will continue to engage with the ESO as it develops proposals that strike the balance of offshore and onshore infrastructure.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not commit to working specifically to encourage National Grid and developers to prioritize building an offshore grid over imposing overhead powerlines.

How: Offering Continued Engagement With Eso

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Q2 Priti Patel Con Witham
Climate Energy Environment
Context

The question builds on the previous one, focusing specifically on the proposed pylons and overhead powerlines between Norwich and Tilbury.

Question

My constituents are angry about the ill-thought-out proposal by National Grid to impose 100 miles of pylons and overhead powerlines between Norwich and Tilbury. Will the Minister share with me, the House and my constituents what work he is doing to ensure that the Government do all they can to encourage National Grid and developers to build an offshore grid that will provide more investment and growth in renewables, and pull the plug on these awful pylons?

Answer from Andrew Bowie

As my right hon. Friend knows, I visited East Anglia a few months ago and I plan to visit again. I hear the frustration and the concerns of her constituents, which she has brought to the House today. As she knows, the ESO remains responsible for electricity network design. Offshore routing is more expensive and the costs would be borne by consumers across the country. However, we will continue to engage with the ESO as it develops proposals that strike the balance of offshore and onshore infrastructure.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not commit to working specifically to encourage National Grid and developers to prioritize building an offshore grid over imposing overhead powerlines.

How: Offering Continued Engagement With Eso

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Q3 Dave Doogan SNP Angus and Perthshire Glens
Scotland Energy Environment
Context

The question concerns the threat of new 400 kV pylon lines in Angus, Scotland, instead of using subsea methods to transmit green energy south.

Question

There are extraordinary levels of cheap green Scottish renewable energy transmitted to large consumers in industrial bases in the south by the network. This north-south transaction should rightly be done by subsea transmission cables, negating the need for onshore pylons and their attendant visual blight, environmental degradation, loss of productive farmland, costly compulsory purchase and wayleave charges. Why are Angus and other Scottish communities now threatened with a new 400 kV pylon line instead of transmitting that energy south using subsea methods?

Answer from Andrew Bowie

The hon. Gentleman should probably direct that question to my Scottish Government counterparts, who are in the same party as him. He wants to ride roughshod over the Scottish planning system to allow for a faster deployment of this new energy infrastructure across Scotland, including in his and my own constituencies.

Not addressed: The answerer did not address why there is no commitment to use subsea transmission cables.

How: Redirecting The Question To Scottish Government Counterparts

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