By Geoff Fisher Re: Why yet another cable trench? (Your Letters, 3 November 2022)
The starting point should be that offshore wind infrastructure should cause as little disruption as possible for communities in Norfolk.
I campaigned for an offshore transmission network as part of a national plan that co-ordinates the growth of offshore wind with the country’s onshore transmission network – it’s called a “holistic network design”.
The government agreed, but National Grid bizarrely excluded East Anglia from the plan, on the grounds that our offshore wind plans are too far advanced to change.
I disagree and have teamed up with other Conservative MPs in East Anglia to establish the Off-Shore Electricity Grid Task Force (OffSET), of which I am vice-chair.
We have established the group to promote a co-ordinated offshore electricity grid as soon as possible, while standing up for the countryside of East Anglia and ensuring our transition to net zero does not do unnecessary damage to local communities and the environment.
I have had multiple meetings with the relevant Ministers, the leaders of National Grid, the energy companies and officials from the Department for Business, Energy and Industry to press for an offshore ring main.
I have also raised this on no less than 10 occasions in Parliament, which you can see via this link.
These are challenging times where energy security is more important than ever, but that does not mean we should not also take care of our communities and our countryside where we can.
Jerome Mayhew MP, Member of Parliament for Broadland
Geoff Fisher