§ Mr. David NicholsonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what his Department does to encourage the siting underground of new and existing power lines for electricity and telephone infrastructure. [17894]
§ Mr. PageThe placing of electricity lines above ground or below ground is in the first instance a matter for the licence holder concerned. The Government expect such lines to be placed underground whenever it is safe and practicable to do so at a cost which would not lay too heavy a burden on the general body of consumers. This applies particularly to the low voltage network, about 80 per cent. of which is already underground. Electricity companies have a policy of placing cables underground where economically possible and schemes to underground existing overhead lines have been implemented in various villages. With certain limited exceptions, Telecommunications Act licences require that new telecommunications lines and apparatus, the siting considerations for which are broadly equivalent to those for low voltage electricity lines, shall be installed underground other than in the case of emergency work. Telecommunications operators are also required to consider carefully requests to resite existing lines underground.