Nationwide Grid PLC has opened a public remark window for early plans for the 6.9-gigawatt Cross Border Connection undertaking between England and Scotland, a part of a broader undertaking to allow extra renewables into Britain’s grid.
“The undertaking features a new overhead electrical energy line and a brand new substation within the Carlisle space”, the distribution and transmission operator mentioned in an announcement on its web site. “The proposed line would run from the England-Scotland border close to Kershopefoot to the brand new substation, with two potential websites into consideration, one to the north of the town close to Harker, and one to the south.
“The necessity for the Cross Border Connection was recognized by the Nationwide Vitality System Operator, as a result of extra grid capability is urgently wanted between England and Scotland to move cleaner electrical energy from sources like onshore and offshore wind. Electrical energy demand is ready to develop by 50 % over the following decade, together with in Cumbria, and this undertaking will assist ship home-grown energy to properties, enterprise and public companies throughout the area and past”.
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Nationwide Grid is proposing two route choices. “Possibility A would finish at a brand new substation north of Carlisle, close to the prevailing Harker substation”, it mentioned. This route would have a brand new overhead line stretching about 28 kilometers (17.4 miles).
“Possibility B would finish at a brand new substation south of Carlisle, with an extended route of roughly 47 km”, the corporate mentioned. “This route would cross Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Website simply north of the River Eden, the place the wall survives as underground stays”.
In each routes, “the panorama already contains current energy strains, roads and different fashionable infrastructure”, it added.
“Nationwide Grid is dedicated to minimizing affect on heritage websites and can work carefully with consultants and native communities all through the session”.
The session runs till December 10. The marketing campaign contains six in-person group gatherings, 4 webinars and the supply of over 11,000 newsletters to households and companies.
“We’re at an early stage within the design course of, and the suggestions we obtain throughout this session will play an important position in shaping how we transfer ahead”, mentioned Angela Hosford, undertaking director for Cross Border Connection at Nationwide Grid.
Nationwide Grid mentioned it’ll use the suggestions to refine undertaking proposals. It mentioned it’ll maintain an extra session forward of a planning software beneath the Improvement Consent Order course of in 2028.
“If accredited, building might start in 2030, with the Cross Border Connection anticipated to be operational by 2033”, it mentioned.
Iberdrola SA’s Scottish Energy Ltd earlier revealed a report on a public session on the Scottish part of the Cross Border Connection undertaking.
“Issues centered across the potential affect on properties, the native vacationer economic system, native heritage and the setting”, ScottishPower’s SP Vitality Networks mentioned in a press launch October 10. “In response, and primarily based on group and stakeholder suggestions, we considerably revised the popular route hall, taking it additional away from key heritage and vacationer websites and different delicate areas.
“The data shared will even assist develop the detailed route alignment, to be developed within the subsequent part of undertaking design. This work can be landscape- and environment-led to make sure delicate siting of infrastructure”.
SP Vitality Networks environmental planner Marlene Marimbe mentioned, “The subsequent step for us is to hold out intensive and detailed investigation, together with a full Environmental Influence Evaluation. This may allow us to evolve the proposals and transfer from a most well-liked path to a selected alignment with actual data on tower positions, entry routes and the way we’ll go about establishing the scheme, if consented”.
“We’re on monitor to share the detailed proposals with the group at an extra spherical of group session in late 2026”, Marimbe added.
The undertaking is a part of Nationwide Grid’s The Nice Grid Improve, which consists of 17 main infrastructure tasks throughout England, Scotland and Wales. These tasks would broaden and improve the community for renewables integration.
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