LONDON (Reuters) -Britain could offer households located near new electricity pylons a discount of up to 250 pounds ($334) a year on their bills, the government said on Thursday, as it seeks to encourage acceptance of infrastructure needed to upgrade the grid.
Britain plans to largely decarbonise its electricity sector by 2030 which will require many new renewable power projects and infrastructure, including pylons to connect them to the grid.
“As we build the infrastructure, we need to deliver homegrown, affordable energy, communities must be given a stake,” Minister for Energy Consumers Miatta Fahnbulleh said in a statement.
Around twice as much new transmission network infrastructure will be needed by 2030 as has been built in the last decade, the government said, but in many regions, communities have opposed large pylon projects that critics say blight the landscape.
Under the proposed scheme, households near new pylons could save up to 2,500 pounds over 10 years, via a 125 pound discount on bills every six months.
Britain’s energy regulator Ofgem on Thursday also set out tougher requirements for suppliers to install or fix broken smart meters.
From 2026 suppliers would need to pay compensation to customers if they have to wait more than six weeks for an installation appointment, or if they are too slow in fixing problems with installed equipment.
($1 = 0.7483 pounds)
(Reporting By Susanna Twidale; editing by Barbara Lewis)
