An energy company has revealed newly designed pylons it intends to use to upgrade the power network across Wales.

Green GEN Cymru says it plans to use the 22 metre tall pylons for the Towy Usk and Towy Teifi projects.

GGC say the monopoles have been designed with the Welsh landscape in mind after proposals to erect massive pylons through the countryside drew mass opposition from local communities.

These poles will now be considered alongside wood poles, lattice towers and underground cables as part of GGC's infrastructure toolkit, the company says.

As the design progresses, GGC intends to engage with potential manufacturing partners across Wales to support the engineering development and future delivery of the monopole technology, bringing together expertise from across the manufacturing, steel and engineering sectors.

The design has been developed with the aim of reducing visual impact where possible, while providing the much-needed new electricity network capacity required to strengthen the existing grid, connect new energy generation and meet growing demand for electricity.

The current monopole would typically be taller than wood pole structures, but shorter and with a smaller ground footprint than the steel lattice structures currently being considered elsewhere within the network.

Greengen Cymru pylons
The proposed routes of the new pylons (Green Gen Cymru)

Andrew Hardcastle, Executive Director at GGC, said: “As demand for electricity increases, Wales will need more network capacity to connect new energy generation, support businesses, strengthen communities, improve productivity and attract inward investment.

“Our focus is to deliver the right infrastructure, in the right place, at the right time. There is no single infrastructure solution that is right for every landscape or community. Our role is to continually assess and develop the range of technologies available to us, so that we can select the most appropriate solution for the circumstances in front of us.

“Developing monopole, alongside our existing use of wooden poles, lattice structures, and undergrounding, gives us greater flexibility and helps ensure we can deliver the resilient electricity network Wales needs.”

Wind turbine protests at Senedd.
Llanwrtyd Wells Anti Turbine and Pylon Community Group brought together more than 500 protestors from across Wales to express their disgust at plans for large scale wind farms in Wales (Image provided)

Stephen Rowlands, Head of Construction and Supply Chain at GGC said: "Wales has a proud history of manufacturing and engineering, and we believe there is a real opportunity for Welsh industry to play a leading role in developing and delivering the next generation of electricity infrastructure.”

“As we take the monopole forward, we want to harness the skills, expertise and manufacturing capability that exists here in Wales. Our ambition is to work with Welsh businesses and the wider supply chain to develop that capability, support high-value opportunities and ensure that as investment in Wales’ electricity network grows, more of the economic benefit is captured here in Wales.”

Around 500 landowners in west Wales took GGC to the High Court earlier this year where a judge has criticised the company for its “failure to grapple” with the risk of spreading livestock diseases from farm to farm.

The challenge formed part of a wider judicial review hearing brought by farmers and landowners who claimed to be facing the threat of losing their farmland, homes, and livelihoods to the pylon scheme