Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the cost and feasibility of undergrounding new electricity transmission infrastructure in rural areas, including Suffolk.

Network developers, not Government, are responsible for assessing the cost and feasibility of construction methods for new electricity transmission infrastructure. This includes consideration of whether construction methods are technically deliverable and an assessment of any environmental impacts.

Undergrounding is significantly more expensive, with the Institution of Engineering and Technology (April 2025) estimating that it costs around four and a half times more than overhead lines. As these costs are ultimately borne by electricity bill payers, overhead lines are the Government’s starting presumption for new transmission infrastructure.