Latest news with #LionLink
BBC News
28-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
National Grid gets backing to move energy from Suffolk to Kent
National Grid will proceed with moving a major energy project away from Suffolk after it got backing from a previously said the Nautilus project should be built in the county, due to cost National Grid proposed to move the project, which would see a new subsea cable between the UK and Belgium, to its preferred location in the Isle of Grain in agreement from Ofgem and the independent National Energy System Operator (NESO), National Grid said it would press ahead with the move. Gareth Burden, construction director of National Grid Ventures, explained the Isle of Grain had "always been" its preference for Nautilus."Now that Ofgem has approved this location, we can release Nautilus' connection in Leiston," he said."We have no plans to build Nautilus in Suffolk or to use the connection agreement for an alternative project."According to National Grid, Nautilus could connect up to 1.7 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind to each country through a subsea cable.A final decision over whether it can be built will be made by the government and if approved, it could power 1.4 million UK homes. The decision to move Nautilus to Kent meant a convertor station planned close to Saxmundham will no longer be built. The development of large-scale energy infrastructure projects such as this requires developers to enter into a connection agreement with the agreement for Nautilus has been removed, the separate LionLink interconnector project was still on the table. LionLink would connect the energy grid in the UK to the Netherlands via subsea project would require a facility which local campaigners have raised concerns over. Richard Rout, cabinet member for devolution, local government reform and nationally significant infrastructure projects at Suffolk County Council, welcomed the he said communities were "desperately craving long-term clarity, certainty and co-ordination" over energy projects "rather than sporadic announcements such as this". Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
19-02-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Preferred landfall site for Suffolk power cables revealed
National Grid has revealed where it wants to build energy infrastructure for cabling between the UK and the power line - called LionLink - would connect the two countries' electricity grids and an offshore windfarm. The energy company wants the cables to reach land at Walberswick, in Suffolk. A converter station, covering six hectares, would be built close to nearby Saxmundham, which would connect to a substation at the village of Grid said landfall at Walberswick would "minimise disruption", but a county councillor described it as "simply a bad decision". Ben Wilson, president of National Grid Ventures, which is behind the project, said: "After two rounds of community consultation and detailed technical and environmental assessments, we have selected Walberswick as our preferred landfall site for LionLink."He added: "We have carefully chosen Walberswick for its shorter cable route, which will minimise disruption and environmental impact." National Grid are behind a similar project, Sea Link, which would see energy cables linking the power grids in Suffolk and would come on shore between Aldeburgh and County Council have called for the two projects to share infrastructure. Richard Rout, Suffolk County Council's Cabinet Member for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, said: "The lack of coordination between National Grid's own projects - LionLink and Sea Link - is startling. "Landfall for LionLink at Walberswick is simply a bad decision."Rout, a Conservative councillor, added: "Given the close proximity of both the LionLink and Sea Link projects, coordination between them should be paramount, but National Grid's failure to do so means that we are now going to see irreversible damage to important landscapes in the county, and further suffering for more local people."A spokesperson for National Grid said: "The application for our Sea Link project has not yet been submitted."We have been consulting local communities in East Suffolk for the last three years, including local political representatives, all with the aim of identifying ways to keep disruption from construction to a minimum." National Grid Ventures said it would be holding "two community drop-ins and an online webinar for local people to find out more about the landfall decision and the next steps of the project".LionLink's statutory consultation is scheduled to start later in 2025, with a Development Consent Order expected to be submitted to the government in given the go ahead, the infrastructure could be in operation from 2032. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
