Wales to Prohibit Traditional Steel Pylons and Seek Input on Undergrounding Strategy

The Welsh government has announced plans to prohibit the use of traditional steel pylons to support electricity lines under its jurisdiction.

Plaid Cymru ministers advocate burying cables underground instead.

A proposed network of pylons in the Towy Valley has provoked strong local opposition, with Plaid Cymru politicians voicing concerns.

Green Gen Cymru, the company behind the project, was asked for comment. The firm previously said that undergrounding would be considerably more costly than overhead lines.

Banning large steel lattice pylons for new lines up to 132 kilovolts was a Plaid Cymru manifesto commitment prior to the May Senedd election.

In launching a consultation on Friday, the Welsh government said that burying electricity circuits could “reduce the visual impact of electricity infrastructure, helping to protect landscapes and local amenity”.

It also highlighted that underground cables would be less vulnerable to severe weather and could lessen harm to birds and other wildlife.

The consultation document notes, however, that undergrounding is “generally considered more expensive to install and maintain and could create construction impacts during installation”.

The policy would permit wooden poles or other “equivalent, less intrusive infrastructure” to support overhead cables where specific planning criteria are satisfied.

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