East Suffolk authority details concerns over plans for undersea cable linking Suffolk and Kent
National Grid claims Sea Link is an important part of its strategy to get the UK to net-zero by 2050
East Suffolk Council has raised a number of concerns in response to consultation on proposals for a major energy infrastructure project that would affect the county.
The Council's written to the National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) as part of a statutory consultation into the Sea Link project, which would see a new undersea electricity cable linking Suffolk and Kent.
NGET has stated that the Sea Link project is necessary to add greater capacity to the electricity transmission network, allowing anticipated renewable energy, generated offshore, to connect to the network and be transported around the country.
The project includes installation of a new high voltage undersea electricity cable link between Suffolk and Kent – with construction of a converter station near Saxmundham, a substation near Friston, and underground cabling running from both sites out to sea at Aldeburgh.
Councillor Tom Daly, East Suffolk Council's cabinet member for Energy and Climate Change, said: “We recognise the need to deliver infrastructure to help achieve net zero targets, but we must ensure coordination and efficiency in the network to minimise detrimental impacts on the environment and local communities.
“The Council objects to the proposed grid reinforcement proposals because:
• The proposals provide insufficient levels of coordination or certainty of coordination with other nationally significant infrastructure projects proposed in the locality.
• The proposals are likely to result in further unacceptable harm, alone and in combination, to the communities, environment and economy of East Suffolk.
• Further consideration should be given to alternative coordinated offshore solutions.
• Further consideration of the timing of the need case is necessary.
“Although we will not decide whether or not the scheme is approved, we are a statutory consultee in the process and we are adamant that the views of those most affected by this project are fully taken into account.”
NGET says it will give all representations due regard in preparation of proposals for the scheme prior to formal submission to the Planning Inspectorate in the autumn of 2024.
As a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), the decision on whether to grant development consent for Sea Link will rest with the Secretary of State.