The route taken by power lines from the proposed new nuclear power station at Moorside, Sellafield, has been revealed today by National Grid chiefs.

Underground cables, 50 metre-high pylons and a tunnel under Morecambe Bay form part of the revised plans, along with a project to remove overhead cables near Hadrian's Wall.


Illustration of the route the Moorside Power Station connection will take Photo: National Grid In a document which reveals the full extent of a £2.8bn Cumbrian infrastructure project, we learn that:

- Engineers will take cables underground through the entire western section of the Lake District.

- A proposal for a 13-mile tunnel under Morecambe Bay to carry high voltage cables is being developed.

- Many of the existing pylons owned by Electricity North West (ENW) will be removed and replaced with fewer, taller pylons operating at a greater voltage

- Seventy three miles of overhead cables will be installed throughout Cumbria starting in 2019.

- 400kV overhead lines standing 50m tall will pass through communities in Ireleth, Lindal, Dalton and Newton in the south of the county.

- Engineers will replace the low voltage line in the area around the Hadrian’s Wall UNESCO World Heritage Site with underground cables

The high-voltage lines will run to a power station at Roosecote, Barrow,
Map of the proposed power connections from the Moorside Power Station. Photo: National Grid where it has been proposed they will divert underground across Morecambe Bay.

Out of the proposed 102 miles of new connections, around 27 miles will be built underground.

Project manager Robert Powell said: "We've undertaken significant engagement during the six years we have spent developing our plans.

"We've listened very carefully to groups like the Lake District National Park Authority, the National Trust, and members of the public on the importance of the national park and other treasured landscapes in Cumbria and Lancashire.

"Balancing the impact of the project on the landscape against its cost has involved making some difficult choices, as the cost of building a connection is ultimately passed through to energy bill payers."

National Grid will now start a two-month consultation on the project, running from October 28 to January 6 2017.

People can contribute to the consultation online or by filling out a feedback form available from one of 43 locations across the project area.