Reydon residents left ‘sick with worry’ over LionLink energy grid plans
The project aims to connect offshore wind between the UK and the Netherlands
Last updated 3rd Nov 2023
Reydon residents say they've been left ‘sick with worry’ over the impacts of National Grid’s onshore energy grid on local communities.
Dozens of residents attended a public meeting last Friday to have their say on how the parish council responds to National Grid’s consultation ahead of the deadline today (November 3).
The project, named LionLink, aims to connect offshore wind between the UK and the Netherlands, supplying the country with 1.8 gigawatts of clean electricity.
It is also part of other major energy projects proposed for the area, including SeaLink and Sizewell C.
But the plans have received extensive backlash from local communities, with pressure groups such as Suffolk Energy Action Solutions (SEAS), and Reydon Against Invasive Destruction (RAID), being set up to combat the development.
At the meeting on Friday evening, Fiona Gilmore and Marc Vlessing, representatives for SEAS and RAID respectively, alongside Reydon council chair Pamela Cyprien, spoke to dozens of residents about how LionLink would affect them.
Proposals for underground cable routes have possible coastal entries which would encroach on the south borders of Reydon or, alternatively, on the village’s northern side, extending the route significantly.
Cllr Cyprien said: “People really can’t understand why they’ve chosen this northerly route and the damage it can do to the environment, to business, and tourism.
“Tourism is what we do, and if it weren’t for that, we wouldn’t be here — this is what the area is about.”
Ms Gilmore labelled the development as ‘completely irrational’ and a sign of ‘short-term thinking’, pointing out that an offshore grid would not only be better for local communities but also present ‘an economic opportunity for Britain’.
This would mirror already the existing offshore platforms which are being introduced in countries such as Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands.
This ‘racing to use the offshore grid’, Ms Gilmore says, shows the recognition of a more ‘cost-effective and environmentally responsible way of delivering energy to brownfield sites’.
A cost-benefit analysis produced by SEAS estimates a total of £2bn could be saved if the offshore alternative is taken on board.
Ms Gilmore added: “There are a lot of people who are very upset, and sick with worry, I know people who can hardly talk about it because it’s so difficult for them.
“If you open your bedroom window in the morning and look over substations, concrete monoliths and steel towers and you had a rural oasis before, how do you think you’d feel?
“We should be embracing this opportunity, we should be excited about it — there is hope, and there is a better way, we’re a little bit slow but we can still do it.
“The Government can’t afford to ignore it, this is not a done deal.”
Despite Ms Gilmore’s criticism that National Grid had not explored every possible avenue, and have not taken into account risks such as flooding, a statement released by the company shows no intention of implementing the offshore proposal.
A spokesperson said: “There is no fully offshore solution to connect offshore wind to the grid — we have to bring the power onshore somewhere.
“We continue to consult with local communities and will always endeavour to reduce impacts as much as possible so that we can deliver this infrastructure, which is vital for the country as a whole.”
Despite the promise to ‘try our hardest’ to stop the development as it is being currently proposed, Mr Vlessing acknowledged the need to remain ‘pragmatic’ in what is ‘ultimately a political decision’.
He said: “We can run the best possible campaign, but there’s an awful lot of politics that sits behind this — it may very well be that we’re going to lose.
“There are benefits that we can extract from this, frankly, horrible project if they decide against all our best efforts.
“If we lose, I’d like people to know that there are some pragmatic people running this who are going to pick themselves up and go forward with the best possible deal that they can extract for the community.
“I don’t want a community to become so embittered about the project, that it stops thinking about what the advantages might be.”
For instance, Mr Vlessing thinks negotiation could lead to, among other things, much-needed new cycle and pedestrian pathways connecting Reydon to the seaside.
Political opposition has also been shared by local MP, Thérèse Coffey, who, despite not being able to attend the event, released a statement outlining her preference for developments to be placed in brownfield sites, and for National Grid to take the offshore approach.