Electricity upgrade plan includes miles of pylons

Some 4,000 miles of undersea cables and 1,000 power lines are needed. The investment would add between £20 to £30 a year to customer bills. The plans were written up by the National Grid, which runs the electricity network. The government said the ESO’s plans were preliminary and yet to pass a planning process.

The £58bn estimate is for work needed between 2030 and 2035. It comes on top of a previous £54bn estimate for work taking place between now and 2030. The plans would support more than 20,000 jobs, but these are preliminary ones that would have to go through a robust planning process. New connections and more grid capacity will also be needed as people and companies switch to using electricity for their cars or heating their homes.

Renewable forms of generating energy, including through solar and wind farms, will also change the way the grid is shaped. Undersea cables will have to come ashore at various points, predominantly on the east coast of Scotland and England. From there, on to places near urban centres via overhead pylons or at four times the cost, under the ground. Critics have said the plan would deface areas of outstanding national beauty.

Hot spots for the new pylons include West Wales and East Anglia. Campaigners say more of the network should be out at sea, and that power lines can - and should - be buried underground. The UK is set to see a rise in energy use as a result of Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The UK is also expected to see an increase in the number of people living in the country.

The increase in energy usage is expected to lead to a decrease in the UK’s energy use. The National Grid is running a scheme allowing some households to reduce their energy usage during peak hours. The scheme is in response to questions on the UK#39;s energy security. The National Grid and the UK Energy Agency are working together to address the issue of energy security in the UK.