The Bishop of Norwich drew attention to churches in Lowestoft and King’s Lynn, and argued for underground cables through the Waveney Valley in a debate in the House of Lords yesterday (Wednesday July 9.)
Speaking in the debate on energy infrastructure he said he had just come from the mass climate lobby in Parliament Square. “I am not usually someone who joins such events but, for me, it is vital for us to hear the Climate Coalition and the great many people who are raising this issue of climate change and nature loss, because it seems to be slipping down political agendas.”
In the Lords, he spoke about district heating networks, the capacity of the grid to receive the quantity of renewable energy that is needed, and mitigating the impact of infrastructure projects on people, nature and landscapes.
He said two churches in his diocese, St Margaret’s in Lowestoft and St Mary’s in King’s Lynn, had been quoted £100,000 and £90-130,000 respectively for the low voltage cable needed to connect to the grid.
“If churches could have easier and cheaper ways to connect on to the grid, alongside other community buildings, they could not only move away from fossil fuels but become generators of solar energy and provide this to their local communities,” said Bishop Graham.
He asked the Government minister, Lord Wilson of Sedgefield, how the Government could help community organisations wanting to change from oil and gas to renewable electricity, or feed into the grid. He also asked how district heat networks could be made more affordable.
Moving on to grid capacity, he asked for a “build ahead of need” model to allow for the large amount of energy which will be generated offshore. He called for solar panels as standard on new houses and existing warehouses and industrial units, saying: “We are missing a trick by not encouraging as much energy production as can be achieved as near as possible to its use.
He also acknowledged the impact of the development of energy infrastructure, including the of land being cleared for underground cabling in Norfolk and asked that natural habitats, as well as paths for people, are reinstated and reconnected.
And he urged that underground cabling, rather than pylons, be used across the Waveney Valley saying: “To have an effective long-term strategy for the power network, it is essential that these 1960s lowest-cost solutions are no longer the default setting.”
In his reply the minister said overhead lines were the starting presumption except in nationally designated landscapes, because they were much cheaper to build and maintain, and the cost is added to electricity bills.
He suggested that churches seeking to move away from fossil fuel energy might be able to get cheaper connection quotes and said long-term modelling of energy generation and demand aimed to enable delivery of the network infrastructure ahead of need.
Photo of Westminster by Andy Kennedy on Unsplash