The new high voltage power cable which will ensure energy supplies for the urban conglomeration around Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, must be laid above ground as planned, Dutch economic affairs minister Maria van der Hoeven told MPs yesterday.

Some MPs are calling for the 380KV cable to be placed totally or partly underground because of potential health hazards and to preserve the landscape, says today’s Financieele Dagblad.
But Van der Hoeven said that this would make the project twice as expensive, pushing up costs to €1.2bn, the paper reported.