Why more pylons could be heading your way

16 July 2025 · Updated: 22 July 2025

The BBC:

Creating enough renewable electricity is one thing, getting that power to where it is needed is quite another.

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) estimates the UK could need up 1000km (620 miles) of new power cables to reach the 2030 target, which the government is focused on achieving. Wildlife campaigners fear what this will mean for places like Wildmoor Health nature reserve near Crowthorne, Berkshire.

While Matthew Stanton from the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust is generally on board with the government’s rush to net zero, he says ecologists like him should be given more say over where pylons go.

“Arguably, we shouldn’t be having any pylons here, but there are,” he says.

It is imperative, he says, that government bodies are in place to ensure that when new pylons are put in, “there's proper oversight in place”.