26 Oct 2015

The final event takes place at Heysham Library, on Thursday 29 October between 2pm and 8pm.

The company has been delighted with the turn-out to the events held so far.

Robert Powell, Project Manager said: 'We've had some very interesting discussions with people about the progress we've made on the project since we announced our chosen route for the new connections in June. We thought that it would be a useful exercise to share information on the work we've done so far, including our work with landowners, Electricity North West and other key groups to start to develop the initial design for the new connection.

'We will be back to continue our dialogue with communities. Over the coming months, we expect to further refine the design of the connection ahead of carrying out formal consultation next year.'

The proposed new power station at Moorside will be connected at two points on the existing National Grid network to ensure security of supply. National Grid's chosen route corridor runs from Harker substation near Carlisle, largely following the path of existing low voltage power lines around the Cumbrian coast to Moorside. It then heads from Moorside to the Furness peninsula where it goes under Morecambe Bay to emerge at Middleton substation near Heysham, in Lancashire.

The company is keen to involve community groups in the development of its plans for the new connection. Organisations interested in arranging for a briefing on the project are asked to get in touch with the community relations team by calling freephone 0800 876 6990.

National Grid aims to submit an application for consent to build the new connection to the Planning Inspectorate in 2017. A decision will then be made by the Secretary of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change. If consent is granted, construction work is expected to start in 2019. National Grid is required to provide NuGen, the developer of the proposed nuclear power station, with the first phase of the connection into its transmission network by 2024.

People can register their details on the North West Coast Connections website to make sure they get updates on the project and are informed when the community events in the autumn are taking place: www.northwestcoastconnections.com

For further information about the project, please contact the project team direct using any of the following methods:

Freephone: 0800 876 6990

Email: [email protected]

Freepost: Freepost NG NWCC

ENDS