The Planning Inspectorate has accepted National Grid’s development consent application for Sea Link, a major milestone in plans to strengthen Great Britain's electricity infrastructure.
Sea Link is a proposed new 138 km mostly offshore electricity connection linking Pegwell Bay in Kent to the Suffolk coast between Aldeburgh and Thorpeness. 122 km of cables would be laid offshore, with a further 14km of underground cables linking to new converter stations at each end of the link.
As the demand for energy increases, the project is designed to deliver renewable and low carbon energy efficiently to homes and businesses across the regions and beyond. It forms part of National Grid’s The Great Grid Upgrade, the largest overhaul of the electricity grid in generations.
Having been accepted by the Planning Inspectorate, the project now enters the pre-examination phase. All stakeholders, including members of the public, will shortly be able to register with the Planning Inspectorate as Interested Parties, allowing them to take part in the Examination process.
A Preliminary Meeting will be held, after which the Planning Inspectorate will proceed to examination, including a series of public hearings. Once the examination phase is closed, the Planning Inspectorate will make a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, who will make the final decision on the application.
Interested parties can register via the Sea Link page on the Planning Inspectorate website.
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.'
For more information about the Sea Link project, please visit the website at nationalgrid.com/sealink or contact us via email at contact@sealink.nationalgrid.com or by phone at 0808 134 9569. More information on the development consent process can be found on the Planning Inspectorate’s website.
Source: National Grid
