Hi there Paul,
You are dead right in your above comments!.
It seems like everyone want's everything as long as it won't effect them personally or it won't cost them a cent.
IMHO, I don't think most people that are arguing about this whole thing, have any concept whatsoever about installing circuits of this size.
Most people seem to think it's like running a cable to your new Garage or the like.
This is 400,000 Volts we are talking about here and the depth of the trench would be something to be seen, because if it ain't deep enough, you can bet your bottom dollar some idiot is going to strike the thing, one way or the other.
Even the sub-marine DC cables in Cook Strait here get struck and pulled up by ship anchors every now and then and that's at sea.
There is a lot of talk about the hieght of the pylons (70m/200ft?), this is one of the things that I can't understand, people fail to see why lines like this are placed so high up in the air, it's to keep people away from them.
400kVAC has never been used here before and having said that, we don't even make cable for it here.
Our highest HVAC voltage is 220kV.
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It's a similar thing with the protesters against windfarms. They object to them on aesthetic grounds, but don't want more conventional or nuclear power stations either, nor do they want to cut down on their ever-increasing electrical loads.
I couldn't agree more there, mate. [Linked Image]
It's a no-win situation, really.
But I'll keep you guys posted on this one, surely common-sense has to prevail here?.