Potential Suffolk sites for windfarm cabling announced
Suffolk County Council says the plans show a 'lack of respect' to the county
We now know where in Suffolk infrastructure for the a powerline connecting offshore wind farms in the North Sea could be built.
National Grid says it wants cables for LionLink to come on shore in Walberswick or Southwold, with a converter station in Saxmundham, and a substation in Friston.
Suffolk County Council says the plans show a 'lack of respect' to the county, but National Grid says they'd bring more clean, green energy to the UK.
Rather than building separate infrastructure for the LionLink project, Suffolk County Council's suggesting it could instead share infrastructure with the Sea Link project (which is at a more advanced planning stage), where where cabling is already proposed to come onshore at Aldeburgh.
"Totally unacceptable"
Councillor Richard Rout, Suffolk County Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment and Finance said:
“The high handed and process driven approach by National Grid Ventures is totally unacceptable. They are showing a complete lack of respect to Suffolk and its coastal communities.
“The absence of coordination between the Sea Link and LionLink projects will, if they are consented, result in over 10 miles of some of the most sensitive and important landscapes in the UK being dug up to create more trenches for more cabling.
“This additional and unnecessary destruction of the Suffolk countryside and natural environment could be wholly avoided, if there was project coordination – something we have been calling for, for years.
"Minimise harm"
“If LionLink has to make landfall in Suffolk, it must do all it can to minimise harm to our local communities and landscapes.
“The public, the Planning Inspectorate, and ultimately the Secretary of State at the Department of Energy and Net Zero, must have the opportunity to fully consider coordination with the Sea Link project as an alternative to Southwold or Walberswick.
"This would make for a much fairer process for all, and a better understanding for everyone concerned.”
National Grid's expected to submit a Development Consent Order application in 2025.