Faced with anger, London promises reduced bills for residents near pylons

Households located within 500 meters "of new or modernized pylons will save up to 2.500 pounds (nearly 3.000 euros) on their bills over 10 years, or 250 pounds per year," a measure that should be in place from 2026, the government announced in a press release on Monday.

National Grid, the company that owns the network in England and Wales, plans to invest 35 billion pounds (42 billion euros) by 2031 to transform the electricity network, a project on a scale not seen since the 1960s.

"The UK's electricity grid was designed in the 1930s to connect coal-fired power stations," but "an overhaul is needed as the UK moves away from fossil fuels and demand for electricity increases," the government said.

Opposition groups across the country believe that alternatives to the pylons have not been seriously considered. Some, determined to fight in court, are promising the government a "pylon war."

These bill reductions amount to "bribing" local residents "in exchange for the destruction of their local environment and their businesses," Rosie Pearson, founder of an opposition group in East Anglia, a region northeast of London, told AFP.

She said developers should "not be allowed to pay to destroy nature," but if projects go ahead, "residents and businesses must be fully compensated for their financial losses."

For its part, the government maintains that pylons are cheaper, and Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who came to power in July, has vowed to override those he sees as "blockers."

Beyond energy infrastructure, the government wants Britain to "get back to building" and intends to reform particularly restrictive land use planning rules: a bill on urban planning and infrastructure will be debated in Parliament starting this week.

On the pylons, beyond bill reductions, developers of new infrastructure will have to "finance projects such as sports clubs, educational programs or leisure facilities," the executive promises in its press release.