Weston Marsh farmer Jenny Pennington hits out at ‘absolutely stupid’ pylon remark by Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero

A farmer has hit back against a minister’s claim that he would live near pylons as ‘an absolutely stupid thing to say’.

Jenny Pennington, of Welland House Farm in Weston Marsh, is concerned about the number of energy project proposals coming to Lincolnshire - including a substation which will directly affect their family farm.

And she is angry with Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, who was quoted in in the national press that he would be ‘happy living next to an electricity pylon’.

She said: “My reaction is you must be mad to want to live near a pylon - what an absolutely stupid thing to say.

“It is just a stunt.

“We have got to try and sort this energy situation out but I think there are too many proposals coming at us.”

The seven projects include overhead cables on the pylons between Grimsby to Walpole, cables from Outer Dowsing offshore wind farm, Ossian’s floating wind farm off the east coast of Scotland to link to the Weston Marsh substation , an electrical superhighway cable link by Eastern Green Link, battery storage, Meridian’s plans and the substation itself.

Mrs Pennington’s husband Ian has lived at the family farm all his life and it was bought by his grandfather in 1930.

It is still a working farm growing rye, sugar beet and pumpkin crops in partnership with a farming company.

The couple are members of No Pylons Lincolnshire and recently attended the Ossian Wind Farm information day in Moulton Seas End when they expressed their main concern is the substation being built - which is creating the projects.

She said: “My husband is very passionate about the area and the land.

“It is sacrilege to use all this good Grade I agricultural land (for the energy projects) and acres will be lost all throughout the county.

“The cabling is coming under the river and over a section of Weston Marsh to connect into the National Grid substation. Cables running underground through part of the land will affect us.”

Mrs Pennington, who has been campaigning for two years, feels that Mr Miliband’s comments have added to avoiding the issue of the substation.

She said: “We wouldn't have any projects without the sub station.

“If we get a substation we are going to get everything thrown at us.

“Everyone is skirting on the issue and we just want to be listened to and look for other options - but it's all about the substation.”

A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: “Our mission is for clean power by 2030 because clean, homegrown energy is the best way to protect billpayers and boost Britain's energy independence.

“Securing Britain's clean energy future will require improving infrastructure to get renewable electricity on the grid. Without this infrastructure, we will never deliver clean power for the British people.

“It is important we take people with us and are considering ways to ensure communities who live near clean energy infrastructure can see the benefits of this.”

Mrs Pennington has been drumming up support to get residents to think about the impact of the substation and potential pylons, contacting MP Sir John Hayes and Lincolnshire county councillor Robert Gibson.

She said: “It is very close to Spalding - a five minute walk from Springfields.

“It is not going to be very nice as it is not the area we are used to and residents will have all this on their doorstep.

“If there is no substation there is no project and I am sure there are other ways.”

The No Pylons Lincolnshire group suggests that National Grid should consider alternatives to pylons.

Andrew Malkin who lives in Moulton has been a member of the group from early on.

He said: “The first we knew of plans was when the map came through the door from National Grid.

“It shows the corridor that they have suggested will be used for the pylons and the infamous blue swathe.

“They could be anywhere within the blue swathe and it brings them very close to my home .

“I certainly would have a view of them.”

The group is critical of National Grid for releasing the projects ‘piecemeal’ and is requesting a cumulative impact assessment rather than for each individual project.

Mr Malkin said: “We want an assessment for the totality not each individual project.

“It is the cumulative impact that will be most felt by residents.

“They (National Grid) say pylons are the cheapest way - we have more strongly challenged the costing challenges for the projects.””

Frustrations abound within the group of not being able to engage with National Grid and that the attitude is that they don’t want to help towards net zero energy.

Mr Malkin said: “The continuous criticism is ‘you don’t want electric’.

“We do - but we want it delivered to us in a clean, green environmentally friendly way - and pylons is not that.”

A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson did not directly address Mrs Pennington’s criticism of Mr Miliband.

They said: “Our mission is for clean power by 2030 because clean, homegrown energy is the best way to protect billpayers and boost Britain's energy independence.

“Securing Britain's clean energy future will require improving infrastructure to get renewable electricity on the grid. Without this infrastructure, we will never deliver clean power for the British people.

“It is important we take people with us and are considering ways to ensure communities who live near clean energy infrastructure can see the benefits of this.”

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