National Grid will be launching a public consultation on Monday (22 February) about proposals to connect Centrica’s proposed new power station at King’s Lynn to the national electricity transmission network.
Centrica has asked National Grid to connect a proposed 981MW (mega watt) combined cycle gas turbine power station, which would be built next to the existing power station at Willows Business Park, King’s Lynn.
To accommodate the extra power National Grid needs to build a new 400,000 volt overhead electricity transmission line from the power station site to a point on the existing National Grid network north of Wiggenhall St Germans, between the electricity substations at Norwich and Walpole St Peter. Depending upon the final route, the line will be between approximately 2kms (1.2 miles) and 5kms (3 miles) in length.
National Grid will be consulting local people about three potential ‘route corridors’ – broad widths of land within which a new overhead line could be located. Consultation is due to run from Monday 22 February to Friday 7 May and will include three public exhibitions (detailed below) where people will be able to speak to the project team, ask questions and give their views.
Thursday 11 March
2pm to 8pm at William Burt Social Club, Watering Lane, West Winch
Wednesday 24 March
2pm to 8pm at Tilney St Lawrence Village Hall, Magdalen Road, Tilney St Lawrence
Saturday 24 April
2pm to 8pm at Ramada King’s Lynn hotel, Beveridge Way, Hardwick Narrows Industrial Estate, King’s Lynn
Local people can also find out more and give their views online by going to www.nationalgrid.com/kingslynnconnection from Monday 22 February. They can also email kingslynnconnection@uk.ngrid.com or contact National Grid’s freephone helpline on 0800 046 3698 (lines open 8.30am – 5.30pm Monday to Friday).
National Grid senior project manager Jim Street said: “National Grid is investing £3 billion a year upgrading its energy networks and extending them to connect new sources of lower carbon generation, such as nuclear, renewables and gas.
“With a number of major power stations due to close over the next decade and no let up in electricity demand, the country will need more than 20 gigawatts of new generation by 2020. Power stations such as this one will play an important role in helping to maintain supplies.
“To accommodate this new proposed power station we will need to build a new overhead line. Following initial environmental and technical studies, we have identified three broad route corridors within which an overhead line could be located.
“However, before any decisions are made it is vital that we hear from local people. Our public consultation programme will include three events where people can discuss the proposals with the project team and give their opinions. They can also contact us via a freephone helpline, a website and an email address. National Grid has no preference as to which route corridor should be taken forward and we are inviting local people to give us their views.”
Route corridors
The three route corridors are detailed below. The pylons would be a standard design and height for this type of line – approximately 50 metres tall – however this may vary depending on the local landscape.
West corridor: in this option the overhead line would leave the power station and head west, crossing the River Ouse and the Ouse Relief Channel, and then travelling broadly south-west to meet the existing Norwich to Walpole overhead line. This option would be approximately 4km (2.5 miles) long.
Central corridor: this corridor runs between Saddle Bow and the River Ouse. In this option the overhead line would leave the power station in a south-westerly direction, crossing the Ouse Relief Channel before heading south to meet the Norwich to Walpole overhead line. This option would be approximately 2.5kms (1.5 miles) long.
East corridor: this corridor stretches between the Ouse Relief Channel and West Winch and includes the River Nar and the railway line. In this option the line would leave the power station in a south-easterly direction towards the Norwich to Walpole overhead line. This option would be approximately 2.8kms (1.75 miles) long.
Following feedback on the route corridor options, National Grid will show how the views of the public have been taken into account in deciding on a preferred route corridor, which is expected to be in summer 2010. From summer 2010 until January 2011 the company expects to develop a preferred route alignment – a specific potential route for an overhead line – within the preferred route corridor and further consultation and environmental surveys will be carried out.
Other works required in the King’s Lynn area to facilitate this connection include replacing the conductors (wires) on the 400,000 volt Norwich to Walpole line, a new electricity substation on the power station site and some work at Walpole substation.
Ends
For further media information only, contact Sara Wilcox, National Grid Media Relations on 01926 655271