Look what’s getting dumped in your back yard

The public consultations showing the fiercely opposed power plans for Montgomeryshire come closer to home this week and the warning from our MP is ‘prepare to be horrified’.

 

National Grid and SP Networks are outlining their plans for a local substation and cable network that will link thousands of wind turbines to England in Meifod today (Tuesday) and if previous meetings in the Newtown area are anything to go by, local opinion is set to be galvanised.

 

Montgomeryshire MP Glyn Davies, who has been opposing the plans from the moment he was made aware, said: “Over 1000 people turned up at Abermule on Saturday. There was probably not a single person anything but horrified by the proposed damage to Mid Wales. But will they listen?”

 

Residents fear that the decision has already been made to change the skyline of the local countryside as hundreds of massive pylons will be erected to carry the power cables from the substation to be located in either Abermule or Cefn Coch. Many see these meetings as merely a PR exercise.

 

Action groups HALT and STOP have combined their efforts to call for a Public Enquiry and all village and town councils have been invited to a meeting on Friday to try and form a united front.

 

The extent of the plans were only revealed earlier this month and revealed the substation alone will cover a site of 19 acres.

 

ScottishPower Energy Networks Project Manager, Steven Edwards, said: “There are currently proposals for 700MW of new renewable energy generation from at least 10 windfarms in Mid Wales. This is a significant level of new electricity generation, and requires new infrastructure for it to connect to the main grid. As the local electricity distribution company we have an obligation to carry out the work required to connect these projects.”

 

Tonight’s (Tuesday) Meifod meeting is being held at COBRA Rugby Club from 7.30pm.

 

For more information on the development, visit http://www.spmidwalesconnections.info/