Oral QuestionWales Office

Whether she has had recent discussions with the Welsh Government on the replacement of overhead pylons with underground cabling.

Tabled: 21 October 2025Answered: 29 October 2025

Asked by

Ann Davies

Plaid CymruCaerfyrddin

Answering Minister

the Secretary of State for Wales

Answer from Hansard

The Secretary of State for Wales (Jo Stevens)

Overhead lines are much cheaper to build; according to the Institution of Engineering and Technology, undergrounding costs an estimated four and a half times more than overhead lines. Overhead lines are also quicker to build, cause less environmental damage, and are much easier to maintain. The cost of building this infrastructure is borne by electricity bill payers, and Plaid’s policy on undergrounding will not only increase bills, but suffocate the economic potential of Wales’s green industrial revolution.