§ Mr. Monroasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give a breakdown of the difference in cost between overhead and underground electrical power transmission lines in Scotland; and what research he is promoting into this subject.
§ Mr. RossThe average costs per mile of overhead electric lines and underground cables are as follows:
less than 132 kV and 134 are transmission lines (132 kV and over).
The 134 circuit miles of transmission comprise in the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board area, sections at Dundee, Aberdeen, Cruachan, Errochty, Sloy, Kilmorack and Aigas and, in the South of Scotland Electricity Board area, at Edinburgh, Glasgow and Motherwell and in Renfrewshire.
It would be impracticable to list the locations of all the distribution cables which are underground. Most are in urban areas, but, for example, the cables underground by the North of Scotland Hyrdo-Electric Board purely for amenity reasons in 1967–68 comprised 7 miles in the
49WBoard's South Caledonian area, 4.5 miles in its North Caledonian area, 8.5 miles in the Aberdeen area, 9.5 miles in the Dundee area and 0.1 miles in the Northern area.