Payouts for pylons: The Winser report and its findings

If you missed the exciting news last week (no, not the return of the Premier League), a government-commissioned report written by Nick Winser, the Electricity Networks Commissioner, was published.  

The report outlines a series of recommendations aimed at expediting the deployment of electricity transmission infrastructure. Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, Sir John Armitt labelled it an “authoritative prescription” for addressing the current speeds of delivery.  

Winser highlighted that in light of the government's ambitious goal to decarbonise the electricity system by 2035, coupled with the ongoing transition to electric vehicles and heat pumps, the power demand is expected to double. He says this impending surge in demand underlines the immediate necessity for substantial investments in the development of new high-voltage power lines.  

Considering it can take between 12 and 14 years from identifying the need for a new power transmission cable to it coming into service, it will come as no surprise that Winser paints a damming picture of the current planning system. He states that there is no strategic plan to identify the need and best routes for new power lines and that the national policy statements are “badly out of date”.  

The report goes on to criticise the government’s current approach to local impact management with Winser questioning, “Is it so surprising that such alarm, emotion and controversy is aroused by the schemes?”.  

The suggestion is that individuals as well as communities affected by new infrastructure should receive a “generous” lump sum compensation package, like those offered to homeowners affected by road building projects to both help ease opposition and speed up deployment. 

Additionally, Winser urges for funds, potentially in the millions of pounds, to be allocated specifically for communities impacted by new pylons. The intention is to facilitate the adoption of eco-friendly practices for local homes, which could potentially lead to these communities leading the way in creating more environmentally responsible living spaces. 

Despite the seemingly rational nature of these recommendations, they have been met with opposition. The Campaign to Protect Rural England charity (CPRE) has stated that it finds it challenging to establish fairness in determining whether the presence of a pylon significantly affects one neighbour more than another, arguing that it makes compensation distribution highly problematic.  

Instead, the CPRE prioritise the implementation of consistent structured community benefit packages, something that has been recommended to the government before. In its report on improving nationally significant infrastructure planning, the National Infrastructure Commission recommended an establishment of a national framework for compulsory community benefit.  

Like previous reports on electricity infrastructure, the industry will be eagerly awaiting the government's response. It will be intriguing to see whether upcoming electricity transmission projects will embrace the approach of compensating households for their participation and if that will be well received within the affected communities.