Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what criteria are applied by his Department to determine whether new electricity transmission cables should be laid below or above ground.

The energy National Policy Statements provide guidance to developers and interested parties on applications for nationally significant infrastructure projects in England and Wales, including transmission lines.

The National Policy Statement for Electricity Networks Infrastructure (EN-5 – https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/47858/1942-national-policy-statement-electricity-networks.pdf) makes it clear that my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will only refuse consent for overhead line proposals in favour of an underground or sub-sea line if he is satisfied that the benefits from the non-overhead line alternative will clearly outweigh any extra economic, social and environmental impacts and the technical difficulties are surmountable (paragraph 2.8.9). Factors to be considered include:

• the landscape in which the proposed line will be set;
• the additional cost of any undergrounding or sub-sea cabling; and
• the environmental and archaeological consequences.