Local people are being invited to a consultation on the route of a proposed new overhead electricity line through Powys and Shropshire.
Green GEN Vyrnwy Frankton – a renewable energy network set up by Green GEN Cymru, part of the Bute Energy Group – will connect clean, green energy to the National Grid and help rural communities decarbonise heat, power and transport.
The project will link Bute Energy’s proposed Llyn Lort Energy Park, and a number of other Energy Parks in the early assessment and feasibility stage, to the National Grid at a point near Lower Frankton in Shropshire.
The Green GEN Vyrnwy Frankton proposal is for a new 132kV overhead line, supported on 27-metre tall steel lattice pylons. While similar to previous National Grid plans in the area, the proposed pylons are significantly shorter and less bulky, and any visual effects will be significantly reduced as a result.
Futher details of the plan will be available at a public event in Llanymynech Village Hall on Friday 22 September, 2pm – 7pm.
The project could allow direct connection of community projects and support energy resilience. It has the potential to support technologies like 5G that could help farmers, schools and businesses to be at the cutting edge of technology while being based in a rural area. It will tackle both the energy crisis and the climate crisis, and empower rural communities through investment, jobs and skills, enabling communities across Wales to live modern electric lives, supporting the Welsh Government’s target for electricity to be 100% renewable by 2035.
Llyn Lort Energy Park, near Llanerfyl in Powys, is currently being consulted on by Bute Energy. It could generate up to 165MW of clean, green energy, enough to power 144,000 homes per year.
The proposal also includes a substation near the Llyn Lort Energy Park. The proposed route for the connection was selected based on a range of factors including potential effects on landscape, the environment and communities. Green GEN Cymru is focused on causing the least disturbance to those who live, work and enjoy recreation close to the proposals and is committed to protecting the surrounding environment.
A public consultation will run from Wednesday 6 September to Wednesday 18 October in a number of local venues including Llanymynech Village Hall.
Green GEN Cymru is also asking for ideas on areas in the local community that people feel could benefit from investment from its Community Benefit Fund.