Powerful idea to give discounts to people living near new pylons

A government plan to offer discounts of up to £2,500 over 10 years on energy bills to British households who live within 500 metres of new or upgraded pylons is an innovative idea, said Midlands green energy expert Ron Fox.

He was commenting on an announcement by the Energy Secretary Ed Miliband to give £250 a year reduction to these residents to “recognise the service” they were doing for the whole country.

The government minister said the costs of the scheme were “more than offset” by the benefits of the new infrastructure, but would also be paid for by increasing average bills across the country by 80p.

“It is an imaginative idea,” said Ron, of Noreus Ltd on the University of Keele Science Innovation Park, “as the UK needs to roll out its much-needed new grid infrastructure at a faster pace to make the most of the vast amounts of clean power we’re producing.”

He added: “It is ironic at the moment that we’re having to switch off offshore wind farms because we haven’t got infrastructure to transmit this green energy all the time.”

The idea forms part of the government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill, published last week, which aims to speed up the building of new homes and infrastructure by cutting red tape and simplifying the planning processes.

The bill discount scheme would apply to new above-ground transmission cables as well as structures such as sub-stations and some significant upgrades of existing pylons.

A report by the National Energy System Operator (Neso), commissioned by the government, found that hundreds of miles of new pylons would be needed to meet its clean energy targets by 2030 and to reach net zero. The power lines would stretch for 1,100km and 4,500km of undersea cables would also have to be installed.

The bill discounts, which will be funded by electricity suppliers, are planned to be in place from 2026 and suppliers are expected to recoup costs by passing them on to other customers.

But the proposals have sparked fierce opposition with campaigners such as CPRE, the countryside charity, who say the plans will destroy rural areas. Others have accused the government of buying people off.

However, the plans were welcomed by RenewableUK, the group representing the energy sector, who said the scheme was needed so the industry could make the most of the vast amounts of green clean power it is producing.

The government is also looking at how communities near onshore wind farms and other energy infrastructure can receive other benefits.

Alongside money off bills, the government will publish new guidance on how developers should provide benefits to communities hosting transmission infrastructure, by funding projects like sports clubs, educational programmes or leisure facilities.

The government said this would mean communities could get £200,000 worth of funding per km of overhead electricity cable in their area, and £530,000 per sub-station.
A poll by the Boston Consulting Group found that 64 per cent of people would tolerate living near pylons if they were given a reduction in their energy bills, while 14 per cent said they would not support the scheme regardless of savings.

For more advice on green energy and reducing energy bills, contact Ron Fox, on 0845 474 6641 or go to www.noreus.co.uk.

Caption: Switching on discounts for householders living within 500 metres of new or upgraded pylons is an innovative idea, said Midlands green energy expert Ron Fox.