Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s commitment to give households close to new power lines up to £10,000 off their electricity bills has been branded a “half-baked attempt to buy people off” by campaigners in Scotland.
Dan Bailey, who is campaigning against the proposed route for a new line of pylons in the Highlands, said the proposal was “utterly inappropriate” when compared to the “serious harm to the local environment, quality of life, and the visitor economy of the Highlands” that he claimed could result from the project.
Mr Bailey, who wants to see changes made to the Spittal to Beauly power line, insisted that the sum on offer from the Chancellor “does not come close to matching the likely hit to property values when giant pylons are bulldozed through our area, and many other parts of the country”.
His comments came after Mr Hunt highlighted the need to improve the UK’s power infrastructure, saying it was “taking too long for clean energy businesses to access the electricity grid”.
He said the UK Government was now proposing measures that will cut these grid access delays by 90%, adding that as part of that it would offer “up to £10,000 off electricity bills over 10 years for those living closest to new transmission infrastructure”.
Mr Bailey however said: “Rebates are only on offer to households immediately adjacent to new pylons, yet the impact will be felt in wider communities too.
“Moreover, payments to households do nothing to help support tourism businesses that will suffer permanently reduced income as a result of insensitively routed pylons.”
Howver Chris Hewett, the chief executive of Solar Energy UK, welcomed the proposals, saying they would be a “real shot in the arm” for green energy.
Mr Hewett said: “Not only will this plan stimulate investment in solar energy, but the removal of network construction delays should also reduce the impact on consumer bills.
“Taken as a package, today’s announcements add up to a real shot in the arm for solar power and renewable energy in general.”
Scotland’s Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy Secretary Neil Gray said: “Proposals to ensure renewables projects can connect to the grid when ready are critical to our just transition to net zero and fully realising the economic opportunities from Scotland’s abundant resources.
“I welcome these plans to speed up the process for new developments, upgrade the grid and invest in our communities.
“The Scottish Government has been pressing for changes to grid connectivity for some time. Grid investment should proceed at the pace and scale required to enable the full use of current and future renewables capacity through projects like Scotwind. Without this, the UK will not achieve its target of a net zero electricity system by 2035.
“It is vital that local communities and businesses benefit from all aspects of our green revolution and just energy transition to net zero. We have been calling for greater benefit for communities near transmission infrastructure for a considerable period.
“We will engage closely with the UK Government in an attempt to ensure these proposals deliver lasting benefits and support a green and growing economy in which nobody is left behind.”
