Lord Offord of Garvel:

Moved by Lord Offord of Garvel

46: After Clause 7, insert the following new Clause—“Impact assessment on erection of pylons(1) Great British Energy must assess the potential impact of the erection of pylons which occurs under or in support of its functions on—(a) local communities, and(b) the environment.(2) If the assessment under subsection (1) determines that the erection of pylons—(a) will cause significant harm to local communities, or(b) will cause significant environmental damageGreat British Energy must not facilitate, encourage or participate in the relevant activity.(3) Within 12 months of the day on which this Act is passed and annually thereafter, Great British Energy must produce an annual report on the impact of the erection of pylons used to support its activities on local communities and the environment, and lay all such reports before Parliament.”Member's explanatory statementThis would require Great British Energy to assess and report on the impact on local communities and the environment of the erection of pylons used to support its activities.

My Lords, I shall speak to Amendment 46 in my name and that of my noble friend Lord Effingham. This seeks to place a duty on Great British Energy to produce an assessment on the impact that the erection of pylons will have on local communities and the environment. Following such an assessment, if the erection of pylons will cause significant harm and damage to the above-listed categories, GB Energy must not continue to build them. The amendment also seeks to include an annual report on the impact of the construction of these pylons that must be laid before Parliament so that the proper accountability measures are in place.

To achieve the Government’s rushed and ideological target for clean energy by 2030, it has been proposed that nearly 1,000 kilometres of new power lines will have to be built. It is the undeniable truth that the infrastructure of the electricity network will need to be built at a far faster rate than it has been in the past decade if the Government are to meet this pledge.

The reality is this: it would be possible to find a way of distributing and transmitting electricity that will not permanently damage the countryside if the Government were to uphold our 2035 target. We understood this; we committed to exploring the use of undergrounding, because the energy system operator said that in the long term that can save costs and it will avoid irreparable damage to our countryside. It is strange that the Government have dismissed this advice, choosing to base their energy policy on ideology. This is particularly true, given that an official report into the East Anglia network has discovered that in the longer term it is cheaper to bury the cables underground. The evidence suggests that, if the Government stick to our original target, they may save £600 million through the use of underground cables rather than pylons.

However, if the Government insist on achieving a decarbonised grid by 2030 at the expense of the British countryside, it is essential that GB Energy assesses and reports on the impact of their use of pylons and ceases activity if it is causing significant environmental damage.

I am minded to test the opinion of the House. I urge all noble Lords to support this amendment.

My Lords, I understand that transporting electricity will continue to be a challenge; much of it is generated offshore in Scotland, but the need is far greater in the south. Pylons are not loved infrastructures by most but are a necessary evil. There is therefore an absolute need to assess their effect on not only those communities that live nearby but the environment, as pylons march across the countryside, often through much of our most scenic areas, not to mention the flora and fauna.

I suggest that pylons are not the only method of transport; my noble friend Lord Offord mentioned underground cables, and sea cables are also an option. There remain environmental factors, but power still has to come ashore to the areas of demand. The onshore issues therefore still remain.

The spend to achieve this, according to NESO, is some £40 billion a year for six years until 2030. I suggest two items of practicality: can the infrastructure be built on time, and do we actually have the workforce to complete this massive task? Local communities deserve nothing less than an assessment of the potential impact for the years to come.

My Lords, we come to the issue of pylons. This is of course an interesting issue; I well understand that pylons are not necessarily popular with the public. They are, I am afraid, just a consequence of what we need to do to expand the grid.

The projects that Great British Energy is involved in may require the erection of pylons, but the assurance I can give is that they will be subject to existing rigorous planning processes and the relevant regulations, as with any similar projects, including environmental impact assessments and statutory stakeholder engagement. We recognise that poorly sited pylon projects can have an impact on the local area, as has been mentioned, such as in relation to wildlife, heritage or sense of place. That is why we are retaining the checks and balances in the planning system and why we want to ensure that all developers continue to engage with communities.

Noble Lords have mentioned offshore solutions. We are already building an extensive offshore network. Indeed, the latest network design from NESO means that, by 2035, three times as much undersea cabling could be laid than pylons across Britain, so we are not ignoring the potential but we will need pylons. We are not reducing the planning regime in any way at all; we want to speed it up, but we will have the protections in place and environmental considerations will come to the fore.

We do not need this amendment. I am quite satisfied that the provisions in statute at the moment are sufficient.

My Lords, I believe that the Government’s tunnel-visioned focus on renewable energies means that the grid will have to be developed at a far greater rate than if we turned our attention to gas and nuclear. Renewables are by nature less dense in energy and require more infrastructure to connect their assets to areas of high demand. It is striking that, as reported by NESO, we will need twice as much grid to be built in the next five years as we have built in the last 10 years combined.

Under this Government, communities are being overridden and their concerns ignored. This is not the way to undergo a successful clean energy transition. By choosing to bring forward unilaterally their clean energy target by five years to 2030, the Government have shown that it is ideological dogma. Where is the community benefit scheme that we set out when in government?

NESO has also said that all grid projects need to be met on time and that three will have to be fast-tracked ahead of schedule. If that does not happen, the Government will not meet their target and families will pay billions of pounds in extra curtailment costs. This is the cost of these accelerated power plans. We must balance carefully the necessity of enhancing our energy infrastructure with the preservation of the landscape and the communities that rely on it.

This is not simply about building pylons; it is about ensuring that the energy transition does not come at the expense of the environment or local economies. That being said, I hope that noble Lords will look to support the amendment in my name. I wish to test the opinion of the House.

Ayes 84, Noes 120.

Amendment 46 disagreed.

Amendments 47 to 49 not moved.