Carmarthenshire: Crane erected as part of anti-pylons campaign

Campaigners, including farmer Dyfan Walters, want people to see how high the pylons would be

A 27-metre (88ft) high crane was erected by campaigners trying to show the height of pylons proposed to run for 60 miles (96km) through the countryside.

Bute Energy wants to connect a planned windfarm in Powys to the National Grid via the Towy Valley in Carmarthenshire.

People against the plan put a crane up outside Llandovery Rugby Club before a consultation meeting.

The pylons would cause "visual damage", they said.

Speaking for an local action group in Llandovery, farmer Dyfan Walters said the crane demonstrated the "scale and height of these pylons".

"There is massive concern... the plans are seeing over 70 miles of pylons from Radnor down to Carmarthen," he said.

The crane loomed over a consultation meeting at Llandovery Rugby Club

"There is an awful lot of mid Wales being impacted by this."

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The Towy Valley was called one of Wales' great treasures at previous consultations and landowners in Powys said the electricity lines should be buried in the ground.

Bute Energy said it listened to "strong feedback" during the consultation.

"We're keen to get that [feedback] so we can take that into account," said Bute Energy's external affairs director, Aled Rowlands.

Bute Energy provided images of the type of pylons that would be used

"It's been good to show people what our plans are and to get their feedback," he said.

"We can adapt our plans and come out with a refreshed plan, probably in a year's time."

Mr Rowlands said there had been "a lot of misinformation out there" about a grid connection for the proposed windfarm at Nant Mithil in Powys, which the company says could see energy produced for 200,000 homes.

People at the meeting again called on the company to bury all electricity cables from the windfarm in the ground.

Bute Energy is now expected to submit final proposals to Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW) by 2025.

The final decision on the proposal will be taken by Welsh ministers