National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) has asked Swansea Council to support plans to replace an overhead powerline in the Gower peninsula with underground cable.
The proposal covers an 800m stretch of 11kV overhead line at Broughton, in north-west Gower. It would remove 12 poles and install approximately 570m of buried cable.
NGED estimates the scheme will cost £130,000 and has said it would fund the work. The project is intended to reduce the infrastructure’s visual impact on the coastal landscape and improve the resilience of the local electricity network.
Landscape and safety benefits
A planning report said the existing line has a significant effect on the landscape, with its height and engineered appearance interrupting views across the area. It said the replacement infrastructure would have a “significantly reduced visual impact” and enhance the sense of remoteness associated with this part of Gower.
The report also identified potential safety and resilience benefits from moving the line underground. It said overhead lines are “visible, accessible and potentially susceptible to deliberate sabotage, physical attack, or disruption from extreme weather, which can affect critical infrastructure and electricity supplies”.
Underground lines were described as safer from a public safety perspective because they remove the risk of accidental contact and vehicle strikes, as well as outages caused by storms or falling trees.
Protected landscape coordination
A representative of the Gower National Landscape team sits on NGED’s South Wales Powerline Undergrounding Steering Group, which coordinates undergrounding projects in protected landscapes.
The landowner at Broughton has been consulted and supports the proposals. The plans emphasise that the project would be delivered by NGED and would not involve works by Swansea Council.