The National Grid wants to build a new 400kV line of pylons from Bramford to Essex to carry the power from Sizewell and massive North Sea wind farms to London. 

This link is essential in some form if we put windfarms in the North Sea  but, as an overhead line, is damaging to our countryside, our environment and tourist trade.  It is an eyesore least damaging alongside the present line.  However an overhead line is not the only option.  It is possible, at a cost, to put the cables underground.  We are told that will cost at least 17 times the cost of an overhead line.  Perhapse £26 million per kM instead of £1.5 million for 30 kM.  Countries in Europe claim the cost ratio can be as low as 7 times. 

A further possibility would be to run the cables under the sea but that again is expensive

We need to be sure the options have been analysed thouroughly and give full weight to the impact on our quality of life.

As councillors we are preparing our response.  You should make your views known through the consultation at the National Grid www site.

For those interested in the data looks like this:

The uk uses about 60 Giga Watts (GW) in the winter at peak

Sizewell B is 1.3 GW and Sizewell C will be 3.2 GW (if it happens)

Offshore Wind  0.5 GW under development  5.0 GW just agreed

Total 10 GW that needs to get to London and one 400kv line caries about 6.4 GW

This would power several million homes