Hartlepool to decide on power proposal
Transmission Investment wants to build a grid stability facility close to an existing substation at Hartmoor.
The company’s proposals are set to be determined by Hartlepool Council’s planning committee meeting on Wednesday 19 June.
Transmission Investment said that the infrastructure is needed to help the region decarbonise its economy by strengthening the local electricity network as new renewable energy is brought onto the national grid.
Marc Browne, senior development manager, said: “As fossil fuel power stations have closed and been replaced with renewable energy projects across the North East, there is a real need to upgrade the local electricity network and ensure continued stability, so it can carry renewable electricity to homes and businesses as the UK decarbonises its economy.
“The Hartmoor Grid Stabilisation Facility will play a vital role in ensuring that the electricity produced can be safely carried to homes, workplaces, schools and hospitals, thereby helping to ‘keep the lights on’.
“We’ve worked closely with the Council and its statutory advisors to ensure potential environmental impacts are managed and that the development can be delivered without significant long-term effects on landscape character and visual amenity through the planting of new hedgerows and woodland around the facility.”
Part of the mitigation process will be a commitment by the transmission business to enhancing the Whelly Hill quarry local wildlife site to improve local biodiversity.
The plans, recommended for approval by officers, can be viewed on Hartlepool’s planning portal with the reference H/2022/0470.