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 on:

• 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 between 75km and 85km, running from the proposed Gala North Substation to a point at the Scotland-England border, south of Newcastleton. The line would connect to the new proposed Teviot Substation, which would potentially 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 northsouth 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 300m 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 accesses 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 SP Transmission 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 the project.

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 System Operator 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 Scottish Power Transmission (SPT) and National Grid Electricity Transmission (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 where a coordinated suite of onshore reinforcements has been identified 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 role does National Grid play?

The Cross Border Connection is a joint development between SP Transmission 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 the project.

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 in England.

How will this cross-border project be consented?

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.

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.

Have you fixed the point where the project crosses the Scotland-England Border?

We have identified what we think is the most appropriate location for the project to cross the border, particularly looking at the route in Scotland.  However, NGET is continuing to work with us on their own proposals in England, which may identify other considerations of which we are not yet aware and may result in a different solution being preferred. If that happens, we will review our preference and, if we think it appropriate, we may consult again.

How much will the project cost?

It is too early in the project development process and we won’t be able to cost the project fully until we have completed the detailed design.

Who will pay for this project?

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 National Energy Systems Operator.

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.

Who gives you permission to construct new overhead lines?

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.

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 available on our website here.

What will the new overhead line look like and how high will it be?

The new overhead line in Scotland will be carried on lattice steel towers (pylons). Each tower will have three arms on each side, and each arm will carry a set of conductors (wires). This is because there will be a circuit on each side of the towers. The towers are made of galvanised steel. They are grey in colour and become duller in appearance after about 18 months.

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

How long will it take to develop the project?

Following initial consultation, we will do 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 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 2nd consultation event at which point further design work will have identified tower locations and hence ancillary infrastructure requirements.

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.

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 connect onshore wind projects, such as those in the Teviot region, to the electricity transmission network. Where as, the Eastern Green Links 1 and 2, which have proposed offshore routeing for lengths of their cabling proposals, are largely designed to connect offshore wind projects located off the East coast of Scotland.

How are you consulting local people?

We are planning two rounds of public consultation before we submit our consent applications to the Scottish Government.

The first round of consultation, from 23rd September to 28th October 2024, is to seek people’s views on our preferred route for the proposed new overhead line, and where the new line might go within that route. You can find full details of our consultation at - www.spenergynetworks.co.uk/pages/cross_border_connection.aspx.

Following this first round of consultation, 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 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 of separate consultations and an application for powers to construct it in England.

Are you consulting landowners?

Yes, we will be 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 - info@crossborderconnection.co.uk.

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.