We need to protect supplies and meet our duties to connect new sources of power to the grid.

The electricity transmission network in Dumfries and Galloway is near the end of its operational life and needs to be updated for the benefit of future generations.

In 2015, after careful analysis, we consulted people about plans to modernise and expand it. The proposals were called the Dumfries and Galloway Strategic Reinforcement Project (DGSR Project).

The DGSR Project consisted of:

• A new 400,000-volt (400kV) west-to-east overhead line from the South Ayrshire coast to Cumbria in England
• Four new high voltage substations
• New 132kV north-to-south lines between Kendoon and Tongland

Since then the future needs of the transmission network have changed.

Following a cost-benefit analysis with National Grid, the GB Transmission System Operator, to make sure our proposals were the most efficient and economical, the scope and scale of our original project was reduced.

The DGSR Project will not go ahead in its original form.

However, we still need to build the new 132kV overhead lines to replace old infrastructure between Kendoon and Tongland and guarantee local electricity supplies.

To avoid confusion, the reduced project was re-named the Kendoon to Tongland 132kV Reinforcement Project (KTR Project).

The feedback we received helped us to verify our proposed route alignments for the KTR Project. This includes potential locations for the steel towers and wood poles which support the lines, along with temporary construction accesses and working areas.

Our third round of public consultation ran from Monday November 20, 2017, until Friday January 26, 2018. We aim to publish our report on the consultation during Spring 2018.