Frequently Asked Questions

Who are SP Energy Networks?

SP Energy Networks is part of the Scottish Power Group. We are responsible for the transmission and distribution of electricity in Central and Southern Scotland (through Scottish Power Transmission), and, through SP Manweb, the distribution network in North Wales, Merseyside, Cheshire and North Shropshire. Our role is to maintain, operate and invest in our network to secure a safe, reliable, and economic service for current and future consumers.

What statutory obligations does SP Energy Networks have?

Our statutory obligations are set out in the Electricity Act 1989 and in our transmission licence. We must develop and maintain an efficient, coordinated, and economical transmission system in accordance with security and quality of supply standards. We must offer to connect new power generators to the system and make sure any work we do keeps disturbance to the natural and built environment and the people who live in it, work in it, or enjoy it, to a minimum.

Who regulates SP Energy Networks?

We are regulated by Ofgem (Office of the Gas and Electricity Markets), an independent national regulatory body. Further information about Ofgem is available at: 

• www.ofgem.gov.uk  

• Calling Ofgem's Consumer Affairs team on 020 7901 7295 

• Emailing consumeraffairs@ofgem.gov.uk 

What exactly are you proposing?

The proposed overhead line would be circa 92km, running from a new substation - Gala North, to a point at the Scotland-England border, south of Newcastleton. The line would connect to the new proposed Teviot Substation, to be located close to Whitrope. The proposed overhead line would use a 400kV double circuit line supported by steel lattice towers. 

There are three elements to the proposals: 

• Construction of a proposed new double circuit 400kV overhead line, running north-south from the proposed Gala North substation to Teviot substation. 

• Construction of the proposed Teviot substation. 

• Construction of the proposed new 400kV overhead line running from Teviot substation to a point at the border. 

The proposed towers along the route will have three arms on each side, and each arm will carry a set of conductors. These towers will be made of galvanised steel. They are grey in colour and become duller in appearance after about 18 months. 

The standard height of the proposed towers will be around 50 metres but can go up to 61 metres where required to ensure electrical safety clearance to the ground. They will be placed between 200 and 300 metres apart. The exact height and distance between them will vary depending on the landscape and any obstacles such as roads, rivers and railway line. 

The proposed Teviot substation will be located close to Whitrope, approximately 13km south of Hawick. The actual footprint of the substation will depend on the final design and layout of its several elements. Within substations, specialised equipment facilitates the transformation, or ‘switching,’ of voltage levels. This process involves using transformers positioned within the substation’s premises to either step up or step down the voltage as required. The switchgear technology to be used within the proposed Teviot Substation is subject to detailed design and evaluation. 

We will also need to create temporary access points to tower and substation construction areas, and construction compounds to store materials. There are well-established procedures in place for creating and then decommissioning these, to minimise impact on the environment and local communities. 

The Cross Border Connection is a joint development between Scottish Power Transmission (SPT) and National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET). SP Energy Networks is developing and will construct the section of the connection in Scotland, the SP Energy Networks Project, while NGET is delivering the connection in England, the NGET Project. The two parties are working closely on these projects.

What has changed since the previous consultation?   

Based on the feedback and information received during the 2024 consultation period, through our various feedback channels, we have made modifications to sections of our preferred route. You can find detailed information about these modifications on the Project Maps tab and in the Routeing and Siting Consultation Update document.

We have made the following changes:  

• The modified preferred route is now further away from major destinations for tourists and local businesses.  

• It is now further away from local communities in Thornielee, Yarrowford, Ettrickbridge and Roberton.  

• Regarding the impact on the environment and biodiversity, the routeing process was guided by landscape and environmental considerations. After receiving additional information through the consultation, we have made modifications. The EIA will assess any potential environmental and biodiversity impacts in detail.

SP Energy Networks continues to engage with Historic Environment Scotland to ensure that national heritage assets and their settings are preserved, including Penchrise Pen, Stobs Camp and the Stobs Camp Rifle Ranges.

Why is the SP Energy Networks Project needed?

As we transition to more renewable sources of energy, demand for electricity is set to increase. The ability to carry more renewable electricity on the transmission network will be essential to help meet Scottish and UK government targets for net zero. 

Each year, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) looks at how the transmission network needs to adapt to meet the demands that will be placed on it over the next decade and beyond. They look at where network capability might need to be increased. Transmission network owners like SPT and NGET put forward options for how network issues can be addressed and these are assessed by the System Operator, making recommendations about which should be developed further. 

The System Operator’s Beyond 2030 report is the latest publication setting out recommendations for how the network needs to develop through the 2030’s. 

One of the key areas identified for onshore reinforcement within the report is central and southern Scotland, with a need for a coordinated suite of onshore reinforcements to complement the proposed offshore network and provide a significant increase to the transfer capability of key system boundaries, including the Scotland-England border. 

One of the requirements identified is a need for a new 400kV transmission reinforcement between our proposed Gala North substation site, across the Scotland-England border to a point to be identified on the NGET network south of the Scottish border. The proposed reinforcement will be capable of carrying enough electricity for 6 million homes and is being developed jointly by SPT and NGET.  

What is the needs case?

The need for onshore reinforcement from south-east Scotland to north-west England was first identified in the Network Options Assessment (NOA) where it was named as CMNC. More recently the need for the project was re-evaluated as part of NESO’s Beyond 2030 report. This was published in March 2024 when the project was renamed ‘CMN3’ and instructed by NESO to be taken forward for development by SP Energy Networks and NGET. Since then, SP Energy Networks and NGET have been working jointly to on ‘CMN3’, now known as the Cross Border Connection. 

What role does National Grid play?

The Cross Border Connection is a joint development between SPT and NGET. SP Energy Networks is developing and will construct the section of the connection in Scotland, the SP Energy Networks Project, while NGET is delivering the connection in England, the NGET Project. The two parties are working closely on these projects. 

Your route only goes up to the border, what happens on the English side?

NGET’s proposals for the Cross Border Connection in England are in a very early stage of development. In 2025, NGET plans to hold its first stage of consultation, known as a non-statutory consultation, at which point they will present their early proposals, including proposed technology and routeing/siting aspects of the NGET Project in England. 

Why is the route presented as a corridor?

The route options are essentially corridors through which an overhead line could be threaded. At this stage, the route can be several hundred metres wide. This will narrow down significantly when tower locations have been established within the Proposed Route. Once detailed design is completed, the alignment will be approx. 25m wide with an 80m min. wide operational corridor.

How will this cross-border project be consented? Who gives you permission to construct new overhead lines? 

Planning permissions in Scotland and England differ as a result of legislative divergence between the two nations. Therefore, areas of the Cross Border Connection located in Scotland require different consenting processes to those in England. 

We will be applying for consent under Section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989 to install the proposed overhead lines forming part of the SP Energy Networks Project. As such, applications will be submitted to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit (ECU), and Scottish Ministers will make the final decision whether to grant or refuse it. The Scottish Borders Council and other statutory organisations will be consulted by the ECU as part of the consenting process. 

NGET will seek consent for the area of the project situated in England via a Development Consent Order (DCO), as it is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). The UK Government’s Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero will decide whether to grant development consent for the proposals in England. 

Although SP Energy Networks is consulting on a preferred route before NGET, the Scottish section of the project will be subject to alignment with the section in England before detailed design.

Who will pay for this project and how much will it cost?

Ultimately, the cost of our investment in the electricity system is partly borne by consumers through electricity bills, so we are obliged to be economic and efficient. We recover our costs through transmission charges levied by NESO.  

The amount we invest in our networks and the amount we are able to recover is agreed with Ofgem, which is committed to working with industry, governments and consumer groups to deliver a net zero economy at the lowest cost to consumers. Find out more about Ofgem  

The final cost of the route will be determined by the route that is adopted, so it is not possible to say at this stage what the total project cost will be. 

Can you disclose the costs of your various routeing options?  

Detailed costings will not be provided at this routeing stage. However, the rule of thumb is that the longer the route, the higher the cost. Overhead line costs depend on various factors impacting on the number of towers, their strength and the required foundations. 

What community benefits will come from the project?  

We support the introduction of Community Benefits and intend to implement a new funding mechanism across our Transmission Licence Area on the basis of the recently published UK Government guidance once the necessary regulation is in place.

We have published our RIIO-T3 Business Plan which sets out our proposals for unprecedented levels of investment in the transmission network between the years 2026 to 2031. We are committed to facilitating a just transition to net zero and we are determined to bring our communities on this journey with us.   

As investment in the energy infrastructure ramps up during the RIIO-T3 period, we expect Community Benefit Funding to be available on our transmission infrastructure projects as per Government guidance - Electricity transmission network infrastructure: Community funds - GOV.UK.   

We have engaged with communities and stakeholders across central and southern Scotland to gather their views on our Community Benefits Framework. Their feedback has helped us shape our RIIO-T3 plans and ensure that future funding opportunities reflect needs of communities we serve.  

We will continue to evolve our Community Benefit plans and tailor our approach to respond to unique needs of local communities in order to deliver a genuine and lasting difference.  

How are you consulting local people?

We plan on multiple rounds of public consultation before we submit our consent applications to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit. 

The first official round of consultation was carried out from 23^rd September to 23^rd December 2024 and sought people’s views on our preferred route for the proposed new overhead line, and where the new line might go within that route.  Letters were issued to all properties within the preferred route and an area of 5km either side of the preferred route. This was a total of about 14,500 households. You can find full details of our consultation at our website: www.spenergynetworks.co.uk/pages/cross_border_connection.aspx  

Following this first round of consultation, we are running additional local engagement in March/April 2025, followed by another round consultation in autumn 2026. We will publish a report summarising the feedback received in this first round of consultation and how this has influenced our proposals.

Taking into account feedback received at consultation, we will develop a detailed design and alignment for the new overhead line, including locations for towers, access routes and working areas. 

We will then carry out a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and hold a second round of public consultation, so that people can give us their views on the detailed route alignment. 

After considering feedback received in the second round of consultation, we will finalise our proposals and submit consent applications to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit, for consideration by the Scottish Ministers. 

The Scottish Ministers will then undertake a final round of statutory consultation before making any decision on our applications. 

The NGET Project comprised in the Cross Border Connection will be the subject to separate consultations and an application for powers to construct it in England. 

Are you consulting landowners?

Yes, we are talking to owners and occupiers of land that might be affected by our preferred route. If you believe that your land may be affected and you have not yet heard from us, please contact us via email: info@crossborderconnection.co.uk. 

How will you determine the final route of the new overhead line?

Wherever possible, we try and minimise the impact of our projects. The routeing of overhead lines is a complex process, requiring a balance to be struck between statutory obligations, engineering requirements, economic viability, the environment, and people who live, work and enjoy the area. 

We are following established guidelines for routeing transmission overhead lines, which combine in-depth environmental studies with technical and economic factors.  A key part of this is consultation with landowners, stakeholders and the public to inform the development of the project. 

You can find out more about how we develop routes in our Approach to Routeing and Environmental Impact Assessment document, which is available on our website. 

You can find detailed information specific to the routeing of the proposed new Cross Border Connection in our Routeing and Siting Consultation Document, which is also available on our website. 

What will the steel towers look like? What are the dimensions?

The proposed towers along the route will have three arms on each side, and each arm will carry a set of conductors. These towers will be made of galvanised steel. They are grey in colour and become duller in appearance after about 18 months.

The standard height of the proposed towers will be around 50 metres but can go up to 61 metres where required to ensure electrical safety clearance to the ground. They will be placed between 200 and 300 meters apart. The exact height and distance between them will vary depending on the landscape and any obstacles such as roads, rivers and railway lines. 

Photomontages and interactive visualisations will be provided at the next round of consultation once the design has been developed in autumn 2026.

The foundations for 400kV towers are determined based on tower size, ground conditions and site-specific loadings. The detail will be confirmed at the detailed design stage. 

Why are alternative steel tower designs not being considered?

The steel lattice towers selected for use on the Cross Border Connection are drawn from a suite of towers which are suitable for Scottish climate and topography.   

It is recognised that there are some alternative designs to steel lattice towers but their suitability is dependent on a range of factors. Their technical performance is variable as follows:  

• Some are not suitable for installation in all terrains, such as T-Pylons.  

• T-Pylons are less adaptable from a routeing perspective as they cannot achieve changes in direction above 30-degree angles. In contrast, steel lattice towers can achieve up to 90-degree angles. 

• Permanent access roads are required both in the initial construction and for ongoing operations and maintenance of T-Pylons. Access restrictions exist due to the fact that T-Pylons are unable to be climbed and require specialist access equipment such as Mobile Elevated Working Platforms. This can lead to their application being unfeasible in areas of challenging terrain from the construction, operation and maintenance perspectives.  

T-Pylons also require a greater quantity of steel and larger foundations than a steel lattice tower, meaning that it is a more expensive overhead line design solution.

Why can’t the proposed steel towers follow the existing steel tower route down the A7 corridor?

Although running the route parallel to the existing 132kV line was considered early on in the routeing process, it was determined it does not meet the routeing criteria particularly in terms of technical feasibility. There are several reasons for this. 

One of the key issues is that we have identified a number of constraints to the north of Galashiels, as well as the town itself, which push route options further west away from where the A7 comes out of Galashiels. While there are some areas between the south of Galashiels and the Scotland-England border where an overhead line route could closely follow the A7, these are not continuous as there are a number of constraints present which would require routes to deviate from the road.   

There are a number of areas along or close to the A7 where the constraints present would be directly affected by potential route options, require longer, less direct routes to avoid them and reduce potential effects or require significant engineering works. This includes towns and villages which are located along the A7 such as Selkirk and Hawick, a number of environmental designations, as well as landform challenges relating to steep side slopes that would require to be crossed.  

As a result, following the A7 was not considered a viable route option and so it is not reported in our Routeing and Consultation Document, which is available on our website. 

How long will it take to develop the project?

Following an initial consultation in 2024, we will conduct further environmental impact scoping before giving local communities and stakeholders a second opportunity to consult on the proposals in late 2026. A design freeze will then be in place in early 2027 before a Section 37 application is made to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit in mid-2028. Should the project be consented, construction would take place from late 2029 to the end of 2033. 

How will the overhead line in Scotland be constructed?

The construction of the proposed overhead lines requires additional temporary infrastructure such as temporary accesses to tower locations and construction compounds to store materials. All have limited maintenance requirements, and all are subject to well-established procedures for dismantling/decommissioning. 

Following site preparation, excavations are required to install each tower leg and its foundations. The towers are then erected in sections before the conductors are ‘strung’ between them. 

Construction will be undertaken over a period of four years. 

Further details will be available at the second round of consultation, at which point further design work will have identified tower locations and hence ancillary infrastructure requirements. 

You can find more information about the construction process in our  Routeing and Siting Consultation Document, which is available on our website. 

What happens to access roads after construction is completed?

The project will establish an agreement with the traffic and roads departments at Scottish Borders Council under which we will be required to ensure we leave roads in a pre-construction condition.

In the majority of cases, any new tracks required to access tower locations will be temporary stone tracks, to be removed upon completion of construction.

Can the new line go underground?

Section 9 of the Electricity Act 1989 places a duty on the license holder to ‘develop and maintain an efficient, co-ordinated and economical system of electricity transmission/distribution’. In practice this means an overhead line will almost always be promoted ahead of an underground cable connection due to the higher costs of underground cabling for the relative voltages and the potential environmental impact. 

Underground cables would only be considered by SPT where there is a specific technical or environmental constraint that cannot be overcome and only after exhausting all viable overhead line options. 

You can find out more about this in our Approach to Routeing and Environmental Impact Assessment document, which is available on our website. 

If an underground cable section is required, then the approach is to minimise the length of underground cable necessary to overcome the constraint to routeing.  

An underground cable has different technical requirements and environmental considerations than an overhead line. For example, an underground cable will have a lesser visual impact than an overhead line but may have a greater impact on ecological habitats, species and on archaeological remains, given the level of ground disturbance. For these reasons, the route for an underground cable may be different from that of an overhead line.

Why can't it go under the sea?

A number of subsea cable routes are already being established, which are largely to take power from large offshore renewable projects. Further cable routes will be installed but even with these, there will still be a need for grid reinforcements onshore.

NESO interactive network map showcases network recommendations for Great Britain's electricity transmission system, reflecting the latest insights from Beyond 2030. Available at Web map | National Energy System Operator 

Can the new line be offshored like previous projects (EGL1/2)?

There is no fully offshore solution to deliver power to where it is needed across the UK. The Cross Border Connection aims to increase network capacity on the network to connect principally onshore wind projects in Scotland to the electricity transmission network. Whereas the Eastern Green Links 1 and 2, which have proposed offshore routeing for lengths of their cabling proposals, are largely designed to give capacity to connect offshore wind projects located off the east coast of Scotland. 

Can you indicate likely areas in your preferred option where undergrounding will be considered?  

The need for undergrounding will be assessed at the detailed design stage. At this stage, the objective is to determine the route that presents the best balance of environmental, community, land, technical and economic considerations.

Is this just to provide cabling to new wind farms and what would happen if the applications for wind farms in the area are turned down? 

Connecting planned wind farms is just one element of the project. Even if wind farm applications are turned down, the need for the line still exists for network reinforcement and would still follow the preferred route (if agreed), given that the route avoids designations and constraints.

SP Energy Networks are responsible for the Electricity Transmission and Distribution networks in Central and Southern Scotland, and don’t have control over potential projects by private developers, but are obliged to offer connections to the transmission network as a Transmission License Holder.

Is the energy being transmitted along the Cross Border Connection all going to England and Wales?

The Scottish National Electricity Transmission System is split up into 7 boundaries, one of which is the B6 boundary which represents the transmission of power between SPEN and NGET.

NESO mandates the reinforcement of the UK grid, and while it is acknowledged that a significant percentage of the power will flow south, it is important to remember that no network can operate in isolation and the mix of generation across the UK strengthens the UK-wide electricity grid. The Cross Border Connection will facilitate increased capacity in the B6 boundary.

How will local nature and heritage be protected?

The routeing process included a review of all the heritage, cultural and environmental designations within the study area. The routeing objective is to avoid designations, such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Scheduled Monuments and designated landscapes. The proposed route seeks to minimise the impact on these sites and the surrounding habitats. 

How will you assess the impact of your proposals on wildlife within and adjacent to your preferred route? 

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be undertaken which will include ecology and ornithology. These studies and assessments will take into account the points raised through the consultation process and will be undertaken independently, in accordance with industry and statutory standards. Mitigation of any significant impacts will be set out in the EIA Report. The scope of the assessments will be agreed with statutory consultees including Scottish Borders Council, SEPA and NatureScot, including the scope of any baseline studies.

Can you tell me more about Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMFs)?

Wherever electricity is used there will also be electric and magnetic fields. This is inherent in the laws of physics – we can modify the fields to some extent, but if we are going to use electricity, then EMFs are inevitable. Like many other things that we encounter in nature, EMFs can be harmful at high-enough levels. But the fields required, for example, to start interfering with the body’s nervous system are much greater than those produced by the UK electricity system. Hundreds of millions of pounds have been spent investigating this issue around the world. Research still continues to seek greater clarity; however, the balance of scientific evidence to date suggests that EMFs do not cause disease.

For more information, please see the 'EMF - The Facts' leaflet available in the Project Documents tab.

How will the project impact the value of my home? Will I be compensated for loss of value?

We recognise that the visual impact of an overhead line may be an issue for many local communities and individuals and our approach seeks to maximise the distance of the final route from properties wherever possible, including the principal views from properties. Individual properties have been mapped and considered as part of this stage of the routeing process. However, as we move forward into consideration of detailed alignments and tower locations, in some cases the residential visual amenity impact on a property can be mitigated through micro-siting of individual towers, and we would seek to do this where possible.

Studies looking at the impact of building renewable energy infrastructure near homes also suggest that any impact is short-term and that house prices tend to bounce back following construction.

What is the latest update on the proposed Teviot Substation? Are landowners being consulted?

Landowners on the preferred substation location have been formally contacted prior to consultation events. Land rights discussions with impacted landowners will start once the location of the substation has been confirmed following consultation.   

Please note the preferred route and preferred site for the substation have been developed independent of engagement with landowners, through an environmentally-led process. Affected landowners were informed before public consultation initiated in September 2024.  

Please also note there is no financial benefit at this stage. As the project is at the early routeing stage, this information is yet to be determined. As the project develops, and we have the detailed design, it will become clearer which properties will be impacted.