National Grid is considering whether it can fast-track two controversial power cable projects to help the government meet its pledge to create a clean electricity system by 2030.
The FTSE 100 energy company is reviewing plans to build a 114-mile (184km) power line from Tilbury in Essex to Norwich, which is expected to begin construction in 2027 and carry electricity from offshore windfarms by 2031.
It is also considering speeding up plans for the Sea Link project, 90 miles (145kms) of undersea cable that would come ashore at two points – near Sandwich in Kent and between Thorpeness and Aldeburgh in Suffolk.
National Grid is hoping to receive government approval for the projects by 2026, despite strong local opposition from campaigners who fear the 50 metre-high (164ft) pylons on the Norwich-Tilbury line would “destroy historic landscapes” and require a “huge loss of trees”. Green groups have also raised concerns that the Sea…
