The electricity pylon is changing design for the first time in 95 years

Virgin Radio

17 Mar 2022, 15:24

Electricity pylons are probably one of those things that you see without paying much attention to, but you might notice some unusual looking pylons popping up around the country this year.

There are around 22,000 pylons across England and Wales, so you don’t have to go too far before coming across them.

Most of them look pretty similar, following the same Effiel Tower-style design, and it is no surprise that they have looked like that for nearly a century.

However, that is about to change.

A new pylon design has been developed and is due to be rolled out across the country, marking the first big change to pylons since 1927.

The Danish company, Bystrup, has come up with a new design for the structures after winning a competition in 2011.

Nearly a decade later, the first of Bystrup’s pylons are being installed and switched on by the National Grid.

They will form a 35-mile route between Bridgewater and Portbury in Somerset and will stand at around 115 feet high, making them a third shorter than the traditional pylon more commonly seen across the country.

These pylons will also have a smaller ground footprint, meaning they will take up less land.

Speaking about the plans in September, Chris Bennett, acting president of the National Grid Electricity Transmission, said: “We are always looking for innovative new ways to mitigate the impact of our infrastructure on the natural environment and projects such as T pylons are a great example.

“This new design forms part of our significant investment in the network in England and Wales, adding capacity onto the grid to deliver increasing amounts of low carbon energy and support the UK’s drive towards its net-zero target.”

The electricity supply for these new pylons is expected to be turned on in October this year with 249 of the older models being removed as part of the project.