'Energy invasion' fears raised by protesters

Jenny Pennington farms land near in Weston Marsh where pylons and two of six new electricity substations planned for the region could be built.

“These are huge structures, taking 25 acres of land each. My concern is that there are so many projects coming in now that we are going to totally destroy the area and destroy good farmland too” she said.

A spokesperson for National Grid said: “The grid we have today was not built for the level of electricity demand we expect in the region in the future, so upgrading it is essential. Our projects go through a planning process that considers cumulative impacts, and we have engaged with thousands of people at face-to face events to listen to local views to help shape our plans.”

The county is also seeing significant interest from solar farm developers and these projects will need new infrastructure to connect to the electricity grid.

At least 12 large solar farms, with battery storage, have already been approved for Lincolnshire by the government with more being planned.

The Springwell Solar Farm between Lincoln and Sleaford is the largest to be approved in the UK but is now the subject of a legal challenge from two local authorities.

A spokesperson for Springwell Solar Farm said: “We are disappointed that parties are legally challenging the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero’s decision to grant development consent for Springwell Solar Farm.