A National Grid application for a proposed 85-mile high-voltage electricity connection from Kent to Suffolk has been accepted for consideration by the Planning Inspectorate.
Plans for Sea Link – a mainly offshore electricity connection from Pegwell Bay in Kent to the Suffolk Coast between Aldeburgh and Thorpeness – have been accepted, with the project now entering the pre-examination phase.
Adrian Pierssene, Project Director for Sea Link, said: “The acceptance of our application is a significant step forward and reflects the valuable input we have received from local communities and stakeholders.
“Sea Link will play a vital role in connecting more renewable energy to the grid as demand for energy rises, strengthening energy security and helping to deliver a cleaner electricity network.”
As the demand for energy in the east of England grows, the project seeks to deliver renewable and low-carbon energy to homes and businesses across the region.
It forms part of National Grid’s The Great Grid Upgrade project, the largest overhaul of the electricity grid in generations.
However, the scheme has faced some opposition.
In February East Suffolk Council wrote to National Grid, voicing its objections to the project, urging it to engage with the council on its ‘significant concerns’ if plans progress.
The letter reads: “The council objects to the Sea Link project but is nonetheless committed to working constructively with National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) to achieve the best possible scheme, if the project were to be consented and delivered.
It continues: “The councils are supportive of the Net Zero transition and recognise the importance of projects such as Sea Link, but we have not to date been given the confidence that the delivery of the project as currently proposed and understood would not result in unacceptable harm to the local environment and the existing communities.”
Now the application has been accepted, stakeholders – including members of the public – will be able to register with the Planning Inspectorate as interested parties, allowing them to take part in the examination process.
A preliminary meeting will then be held, including public hearings, before the Planning Inspectorate makes a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, who will make the final decision.
Interested parties can register via the Sea Link page on the Planning Inspectorate website. For more information about the Sea Link project, see nationalgrid.com/sealink.