The group opposing the building of a large network of pylons down the Vyrnwy valley are putting on a public meeting.
Montgomeryshire Against Pylons (MAP) will be holding a meeting in Meifod Village Hall at 7.30pm on Monday September 25 and said the “threat of giant pylons marching across beautiful and tranquil Montgomeryshire is nothing new”.
Bute Energy who are planning on building the new stretch of power lines to connect its proposed new largescale windfarm, Llyn Lort Energy Park, near Cefn Coch.
This would be the company’s second largescale windfarm project in Powys with another project at Nant Mithil Energy Park, near the Radnor Forest which has garnered controversy in the area.
READ MORE: Bute Energy plans power line, pylons and windfarm in Powys
A MAP spokesperson said: “Whilst the need for greener, cheaper energy is accepted by us all, we have come such a long way since 2011.
“Technology has moved on and the efficacy and cost of other methods of producing energy now means that we believe there are better means to generate clean energy without the desecration of landscapes like we have here in Montgomeryshire.
“Not only is this part of the world loved by those who live in it, but visitors come to enjoy the tranquillity and beauty of the area which greatly assists the local economy, employing many. Here in Montgomeryshire we feel we have already done our bit to achieve greener energy production with a considerable number of wind farms being built.
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“We already export a lot more energy than we use locally. But we cannot allow our area to become saturated with giant turbines, substations, wires and steel pylons which will dwarf our landscape and destroy our precious uplands. This can only be counter-productive in trying to conserve carbon sinks and minimise the flooding risk downstream.
“We urge all to stand up against the current proposals which will affect our area forever as well as our lives and those of our children.”
The group has reformed after 12 years, when National Grid proposed a 45-mile 400kV electricity line from a substation in the remote moorlands around Cefn Coch down the Vyrnwy Valley to join the existing lines at West Felton.
The group claim the new turbines would be larger than “anything we have seen here before, each twice the height of St Paul’s Cathedral.”
They added that while the National Grid agreed to underground at least some of the line, no such offer has been made by Green Gen Cymru, the arm of Bute Energy responsible for building the line.
Gareth Williams, grid director at Bute Energy, said: “We know that people have differing views on new infrastructure, and we are committed to doing everything we can to cause the least disturbance to the environment and those who live, work and enjoy recreation close to our proposals.
"We’d urge people to have their say on our plans so that we can develop the best solution for the environment and for communities across Wales.”
Bute will be holding a series of public meetings this month and a copy of the preferred route is available here.
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