An 8-week consultation is underway on plans to build a new electricity line between Suffolk and Kent
Local campaign groups are against it and are worried about the environment.
Last updated 4th Dec 2023
An eight-week consultation is underway on plans to build a new electricity line between Suffolk and Kent.
The proposed electricity line would see a cable run all the way through Saxamundum to Thorp Road, in between Thorpness and Aldeburgh, to connect offshore wind between the UK and the Netherlands.
Many have expressed concerns about the impact the project will have on wildlife.
Environmental Concerns
David McKenna is from the Suffolk Energy Action Solutions (SEAS) group, campaigning against the project. He told us the impact "is enormous" and "trenches will cut across" the countryside with "construction routes being as wide as the motorway."
He explained that any trees that are cut down for the cables won't be replanted as they wouldn't be able to grow due to the heat from the cables.
David told us how this area is also apart of the migration path for many species of birds, who take rest in Suffolk on their long journeys and they will be "disturbed and disrupted with all sorts of consequences" if the cables were to be built.
"There's nowhere suitable" on the coast for the cables
David went on to say that from Southwold down to Aldeburgh, there are "a number of sandy beaches" and cliffs, "various different habitats and offshore rock formations." All of which contribute to his belief that this is not a suitable area for the cables.
As well as this, David remarked how "we are at very high risk of coastal erosion."
"Whatever site you take it's not going to be good."
The socio-economic impact
David explained that many people in the area enjoy the scenery, landscape and beaches - which also brings in tourism, and keeps people in work. He worries that if these cables were to be built the construction would be loud and ugly and take longer than planned.
"This will go on for years and bear in mind there's a construction camp being built near Sizewell for 10,000 workers for the nuclear program.
This is all on top of that (the cables) and so we have done the analysis of the cumulative impact and that's enormous.
What they want
David told us that the campaign group SEAS is "advocating for the power to be taken offshore, undersea by cable, closer to where it's needed now."
Their reasoning behind this is
Most of the power in the North Sea is needed in London and the South East -that would suggest taking the cables further South. Their second point is to land the cables on brownfield sites instead of greenfield sights.