South Wales Gas Pipeline

An alternative subsea route using similar technology to the Langeled pipeline, which was being planned and built at the same time, was ruled out for expense reasons.

The pipeline was allowed within the Brecon Beacons National Park as it was ruled a "critical" part of future energy needs on 7 February 2007 by the Department of Trade and Industry.

[8] The route includes unstable areas such as Trebanos, liable to landslide and earthquake due to extensive historic mineworkings, which are deemed too dangerous for mains gas to be piped to local homes.

In the area north of the National Park between Brecon and Hay there were also found Bronze Age cremation sites and a post-medieval structure.

Archaeologists commented that "the construction of the... pipeline provided a useful, if somewhat spatially limited... opportunity to investigate a section of countryside not often subject to modern development.

The discoveries made during the project, whilst generally small in scale, help expand our knowledge of the history and prehistory of eastern Powys.

There were strong similarities to the concerns raised by the anti-pipeline protest movement at County Mayo, Ireland organised by Shell To Sea.

[5] The opposition was also supported by a perception by local Welsh people that a pipeline like this would not be permitted in England, raising echoes of the infamous drowning of Capel Celyn for a reservoir.

[6] The result of this decision led the National Grid to declare a force majeure notice in April 2007 to avoid any responsibility for any delays in gas delivery.

[12] In June 2007 a High Court ruling meant the Brecon protest camp featuring tree houses and tunnels open since January was closed down with a number of protestors arrested and substantial local disruption to roads.

National Grid replaced, levelled and cultivated the large amount of vegetation, subsoil and topsoil which had been removed to a width in places of a dual carriageway in an attempt to restore the land to its original condition.

To permit the new pipeline to operate at the intended 94 bar, a Pressure Reduction Installation (PRI) is required before it joins the existing National Transmission System – the 'motorway' of gas distribution in the UK.

Pipeline routing and environmental impact assessment took place from October 2004 to summer 2006 and consent and land acquisition took from winter 2005 to February 2007.