What are the grid connections for?

Sourced from National Grid website detailing their North West Coast Connections project

'We are developing the North West Coast Connections Project (NWCC) because we need to connect and export the electricity that will be generated by Moorside, the new 3.4 GW nuclear power station that will be built near Sellafield in West Cumbria. We also need to export the power generated by new energy projects in the North West.

'There are existing Electricity North West (ENW) pylon lines which run around the west coast of Cumbria and Lancashire distributing the electricity used by homes and businesses across the region. Operating at 132kV and below, these lines cannot carry the amount of electricity a power station the size of Moorside will generate.

'This means that we need to build a new high voltage connection from Moorside to our existing National Grid electricity transmission network. The closest places on our network where these circuits can connect are over 50 kilometres (31 miles) away from the site.'

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Points to make in your letter to National Grid
I live on the West coast of Cumbria. Are there any local groups that I can join or support?

We would urge any residents worried about the propsed pylon route to get in touch with 'Power Without Pylons' and lend your support to getting these connection put underground.
How big are the pylons going to be?

They are the biggest type of pylon currently in use in this country. To put things in perspective, these pylons are about the same height as Nelson’s Column
What can I do to help?

Write to National Grid and MP's, Donate to our campaign, Support a local action group.
Does your campaign mean that you're against the connections and the development of Moorside power station?

This isn’t a pro or anti-nuclear debate as far as we’re concerned, and we fully appreciate that we have to supply our country’s energy needs.
Where are National Grid planning to put these pylons?

National Grid announced the proposed route of the North West Coast Connections on 28th October 2016. All of the cables within the Lake District National Park will be put underground which is a huge success. However, 20km of overhead lines will run just outside the National Park from Silecroft to Kirkby-in-Furness.

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