A DECISION on which route a massive power line should take through North Somerset is still to be announced, with National Grid unable to say when such a decision will be made.

The energy giant plans to install the 400,000 volt, 37-mile line, complete with 150ft pylons, to link a planned new power station at Hinkley C with a substation in Avonmouth.

Consultation on the plans began in October 2009 and National Grid has said it is still analysing the responses given by interested parties as well as the best route for the line.

An announcement on the path the line will take was due to be announced in autumn 2010 before this was put back until early this year. A National Grid spokesman has now said they still do not know when a decision will be announced.

The plans for the power line caused uproar when they were announced in 2009, with residents, campaign groups, councillors and politicians calling for cables to be placed under ground rather than installing huge pylons across the countryside.

National Grid proposed a choice to two route corridors for the line, travelling to either to the east of Nailsea near Backwell or to the west near Tickenham.

Once the energy company has announced its decision, the final say on whether the proposals can go ahead will be made by the Government’s Infrastructure Planning Commission.