Undergrounding new Scottish powerline 'should be considered' - 21/01/2011
Cheap electricity campaigners have claimed new research lends support to their proposals to bury parts of a new Scottish powerline underground.
According to the Scotsman, plans to link central Scotland to the Highlights via a 137-mile overhead line was given approval by energy minister Jim Mather last year, but a report has criticised the energy supplier involved for not considering alternative methods to running a cable above the ground.
The report, produced by Europacable, hit out at ScottishPower because the energy company did not refer to other undergrounding projects in parts of Europe.
"From a technical perspective, partial undergrounding can be a viable option for transmission projects of vital interest for the development of the EU transmission network," the report notes.
While burying parts of high voltage transmission lines underground can be up to ten times more expensive than running them up high, the report's authors point out that this method means lines are hard-wearing, conserve energy better and require hardly any maintenance.
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