Homes near new electricity pylons or wind turbines could be given discounts off their electricity bills.

In an attempt to reduce opposition (don’t say bribe) to people living near the sites of new pylons, the Government is said to be about to announce a discount of £250 per annum off energy bills for ten years to people living within half a kilometre of new or upgraded power infrastructure.

The Grid infrastructure will need significant upgrades and expansion to cope with expected renewable supply and demand, with the National Grid looking at an unprecedented level of investment of up to £35bn over the five years to March 2031, including a baseline investment of over £11bn to maintain and upgrade existing networks, alongside construction works for the first three of the Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) projects where project assessments have been approved and pipeline investment of around £24bn, which includes around £15bn to increase network capacity.

In short: A lot of pylons will be needed to be built.

The imminent Planning and Infrastructure Bill will also bring to an end a legal requirement for the current levels of consultation.

Commenting on the Bill, RenewableUK's head of policy James Robottom said: "We welcome the Government’s latest steps to help get Britain building the infrastructure it so desperately needs. It's right that local communities should benefit from hosting new and upgraded pylons, so this guarantee that they will have significantly lower electricity bills is a positive step forward. We recognise the need to bring communities with us as we build the clean energy system of the future by ensuring that they have a tangible stake in it.”

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