Following an extensive period of planning and public consultation, ScottishPower today (Thursday April 16th) submitted proposals for a new 132kV overhead power line between Legacy substation in Wrexham and Oswestry substation to the Department of Energy and Climate Change under section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989.

The £13 million proposal involves the construction of a 21km overhead power line, to be built on wooden poles, in order to guarantee the security of electricity supplies to 80,000 homes and business in the Wrexham, Shropshire and Powys areas.

In order to determine the route of the proposed overhead power line, ScottishPower carried out a number of public meetings and received more than 120 enquiries from members of the public. All feedback was taken into consideration during the design process.

Steve Chantler, Major Projects Manager at ScottishPower, explained: “The demand for electricity in Oswestry and surrounding areas has increased in recent years, as new houses have been built and new businesses have opened. The extra strain on the electricity network means that this reinforcement is essential to ensure the on-going security of electricity supplies in the area.

“The final route and design that we have put forward is the result of three years of detailed planning and consultation. As well as carrying out in-depth environmental impact studies, we also had to consider the technical challenges associated with the differing terrain and ensure that access is possible for construction and future maintenance.”

The company hopes to receive a planning decision within the next six to nine months. If approved, ScottishPower believes the line will take approximately two years to construct and become operational.

Notes to editors:

• The proposed overhead line will be constructed using wood poles with steel bracings. Poles will maintain the statutory ground clearance of 6.7m from the lowest wire to ground level and will normally be about 15m high.


• The exact positioning of the poles depends on terrain and local ground conditions as well as the need to avoid trees and sites of known archaeological interest. Wherever possible, poles are placed on the edge of field boundaries.

Media Information: Paul Ferguson, 0141 566 4515 / 07702 665 924