Under the new policy framework, wooden poles or equivalent, less intrusive infrastructure would be permitted to support overhead cables where certain planning tests are met.
The Welsh government has announced plans to ban the use of traditional steel pylons to support electricity lines over which it has control.
The consultation document acknowledges that undergrounding is generally considered more expensive to install and maintain and could create construction impacts during installation. Additionally, the company has consistently said that undergrounding its cables would cost on average 4.5 times more than running them overhead. The Welsh government stated:"We want to see infrastructure that is sensitively designed to minimise impacts on the environment and the communities that host them, while offering the maximum benefits for Wales.".
The government says it is consulting on an undergrounding-first approach to electricity lines, marking a significant shift in infrastructure planning policy.
The company has consistently said that undergrounding its cables would cost on average 4.5 times more, external than running them overhead.