Proposals to install more than 140 pylons connecting Hinkley Point C to Avonmouth could be delayed by up to three years, according to National Grid.
The new power station will need to be connected to the National Grid at Avonmouth and the company is planning to use new 36-metre tall T-shaped pylons instead of traditional pylons, as pictured here.
The 400,000 volt power connection will run through the Burnham area. Despite calls for the line to be buried underground, National Grid says the 37-mile line will run overground for much of the route.
They were scheduled to be installed by October 2019, if approved. However, the firm said on Monday, at the start of a six-month inquiry, that the date has been delayed to October 2022 instead.
The Planning Inspectorate is due to make a recommendation on the plans to the Secretary of State this coming summer.
A company spokesman previously said it had carried out “five years of consultation”.
It will see 30-miles of overhead wires carried on pylons and a five-mile section under the Mendips, connecting the station to the National Grid’s 400,000 volt substation at Avonmouth.
It would also see the removal of 246 pylons and 42 miles of older cabling between Bridgwater and Avonmouth.
Those against the pylons argue the entire route should run underground or go sub-sea under the Bristol Channel, but National Grid believes this option would be too costly.
