Consultation starts on Suffolk-Kent Sea Link plan

Consultation has begun on a 90-mile (145km) electricity infrastructure project linking Suffolk and Kent.

The National Grid proposals for the Sea Link offshore project would also include some onshore stations.

This includes sub-stations in Friston, Suffolk and Richborough, Kent, as well as converter stations near Saxmundham, Suffolk and Minster, Kent.

Sea Link project director Adrian Pierssene said he wanted to limit the impact of the project on communities.

National Grid said the subsea cable would provide a two gigawatt, high voltage direct current (HVDC) electricity connection.

It would "increase the network's capacity to manage new energy transmission" in the two counties, assisting the government with its target of reaching net zero emissions by 2050.

"As part of [the project], we will need to build some onshore infrastructure to connect those offshore cables into the National Grid," said Mr Pierssene.

But residents have already raised fears in earlier debates that the proposals could blight the countryside and a statement from Suffolk County Council said it remained "concerned about the lack of coordination" of the project.

The council has now urged communities to share their views during this new period of consultation.

Councillor Richard Rout, deputy leader and cabinet member for finance and environment, said: "We support the government's drive for energy security but will not stand for the bare minimum mitigations that developers can apply to projects of this scale, which show little consideration for local communities."

Michael Mahony, chair of Substation Action Save East Suffolk, a campaign group against the proposals in Friston, said the plans were a "shambles".

"National Grid have failed to strategically plan and invest for over 10 years," he said.

"What would be far more sensible is to cut out the East Suffolk bit and take power direct from the offshore wind farm Scottish Power is building, to the South East."

However, Mr Pierssene said: "We fully intend to take feedback and make sure we do everything we can to have as small a impact on the local communities as possible."

An eight-week statutory consultation process is now under way.

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