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A key transmission link in East Anglia has been put on hold after power generators said they would not need it until the early 2020s.
A 400,000 volt electricity connection between Bramford in Suffolk and Twinstead in Essex was due to be built by 2017.
The 27km line will be needed to allow new generation to connect, including East Anglia Offshore Wind, a new gas-fired power station at King’s Lynn and Sizewell C new nuclear power station.
However, the timetable for those projects has been pushed back.
East Anglia Offshore Wind, a joint venture between Scottish Power and Vattenfall, is not now set to start offshore construction before 2017.
In March 2012, Centrica mothballed its existing gas-fired power station at King’s Lynn due to “challenging economic conditions”. The company is planning to build a second plant on the site as well as keeping open the option of returning the old plant to service “should market conditions improve”.
EDF Energy does not yet have a target commissioning date for its new nuclear plant at Sizewell. A spokeswoman said it is in the planning process roughly three years behind Hinkley Point C, which is due to go live in 2023.
Brian Smethurst, senior project manager, National Grid, said: “This connection is still necessary to connect new sources of low carbon generation to the system. We will continue to liaise with the generators to ensure this connection is delivered when it is required.”
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