Connecting new energy projects in the North West.
In Cumbria and Lancashire, we’ve been asked to connect a number of new energy projects to the national electricity network. These include Moorside, the proposed new 3.2 gigawatt (GW) nuclear power station near Sellafield, West Cumbria, and a number of offshore wind farm projects in the Irish Sea.
There is currently no transmission system serving West Cumbria so our job is to find the most acceptable way of upgrading and developing the existing electricity transmission network to provide these connections and securely transmit the energy generated by these new projects to the homes, businesses, schools and hospitals where it is needed.
Before we make any decision, we will be carrying out a great deal of technical and environmental investigation work as well as talking to local communities who, as the project progresses, will have an increasingly important role to play in helping us decide where and how these connections should be developed.
Where are we now?
Over the past two years we have made considerable progress in our work to determine the best way of providing secure connections for those new energy projects coming forward in the North West.
Having carried out extensive appraisals, working with local authorities and other important organisations such as Natural England and the National Park Authority to jointly explore all the options available, we have now identified six potential options that present a workable solution for getting the energy created by these new generators to the homes and businesses that use it.
Find out more and have your say
We are committed to being as transparent as possible throughout this project to ensure we reach the best overall solution for the area.
From 11 May to the 19 July 2012 details of the six ‘Strategic Options’ we have identified, along with background information about the North West Coast Connections project, are available on our project website for people to view and comment on for a ten week period.
While this initial stage of technical consultation is primarily aimed at getting feedback from stakeholders and statutory bodies, the information is publicly available for individuals, communities and locals groups to feed back on if they wish.
Comments received will be used to help us identify which option, or options, to take forward for further development. At the end of this stage we will produce and publish a Strategic Options Report, explaining how and why we identified the preferred option, or options, as well as the reasons why other options were not taken forward.
We will then begin to look at the routing options and it is at this point that we will start to consult intensively with communities. Consultation events are expected to take place in 2013 and will be well publicised in advance. People will be able to meet with members of the project team to discuss the project in more detail and provide their views and comments on the potential option, or options, being considered.
If you would like to receive updates on the North West Coast Connections project please register with us on our dedicated project website.
For any other enquiries please contact the project team direct using any one of the following methods:
Call: 0800 876 6990
Email: nationalgrid@northwestcoastconnections.com
Freepost: FREEPOST NG NWCC.
Further Information
North West Coast Connections website registration page
North West Coast Connections project documents