Suffolk pylons 'won't only take power to London' says grid

Those opposed to the scheme say it would be better to create offshore links to carry the power - following the continental example of creating artificial islands to channel the power to the shore.

National Grid engineers maintain this would be uneconomic - financial projections which claim it could be cheaper involve double counting, they say.

And the also claim that the purpose of the line of pylons has been fundamentally misunderstood - it is not simply a case of taking the electricity from the North Sea where it is generated to London where it is needed.

Read more: Can Suffolk be green and still an attractive place to live?

The line of pylons, which would also link into the National Grid's major junction at Bramford near Ipswich, would form a role strengthening the whole nation's electricity network that will need to carry three times as much power as it does now by 2050.

Joe Northwood from the National Grid said it wasn't simply a case of transferring electricity to London - there would also be a huge demand from the midlands and the north of England where much of the old generating capacity had been located.

Smoke from a coal-fired power station

Coal-fired power stations had been built across the country - but the greatest number was in midlands and north where most of the coalfields had been dug.

Heavy industry that relied on their electricity had grown up around them - and that would now need to be fed by power generated in the North Sea and that would be pushed down the new line of pylons and into the grid.

Mr Northwood said strengthening the country's entire electricity grid to take advantage of the huge generating capacity of the North Sea would be vital.

The National Grid probably would be able to keep the lights on in the future without this strengthening - but it would not be able to reach the net zero targets because there would still be a need for gas power stations to provide power for "green" battery powered cars and homes without the ability to transmit the power from the coast to the nation's heartland.

If the country is to move to net zero emissions - and it has a good chance because the North Sea has the potential to be one of the best sites for wind turbines in the world - the National Grid says it is vital its onshore network is strengthened.

There has been talk of the government funding a new look at a possible offshore link between Essex and London linking into Bramford - but there has been speculation that this is just seen as a way of kicking the decision down the road until after the next general election when a different set of ministers might be making the final decision.

It likens it to the nation's motorway network with regional distribution companies like UK Power Networks (UKPN) providing the smaller power lines and individual connections to homes and businesses.

A spokeswoman for UKPN said it was able to help households and businesses export electricity they had generated through solar panels or other energy-saving devices back into the network.

She said: "In general, domestic properties and new housing developments can connect 5KW (eg 12) solar panels per property and export energy.

"For larger commercial schemes, we are ready to connect and these upgrades for customers are a chargeable service.

"From April, industry changes to connection charging made the process easier and cheaper for a significant number of customers, and we offer flexible connections too.

UK Power Networks is committed to enabling the transition to Net Zero. We are investing £1billion over the next five years to ensure power supplies continue to meet the needs of our customers.  

"We are currently investing £66million in 86 network upgrades for customers as part of OFGEM’s Green Recovery scheme to fast-track low carbon technology like community energy schemes, heat pumps and public charge points for electric vehicles."