Sealink undersea cable consultation ends

A public consultation into plans to lay 90 miles (145km) of cable under the sea between Kent and Suffolk ends on Sunday.

The Sea Link project would carry windfarm and nuclear-generated electricity from the Aldeburgh/Thorpeness area to the Sandwich and Ramsgate areas.

The National Grid has said the cable is needed to meet the government's 2030 clean power target.

Some environmental groups have campaigned against it, saying it will harm local biodiversity.

Emma Waller, the Kent Wildlife Trust's planning and policy officer, said: "This cable will come on shore at Pegwell Bay which is an internationally important site for wildlife, especially migratory and overwintering birds.

"It's also home to Kent's largest seal population."

The Campaign to Protect Rural England said Sea Link would be "a disaster", with Kent MPs Sir Roger Gale and Polly Billington also raising concerns.

The scheme would involve building sub-stations in Friston, Suffolk and Richborough, Kent, as well as converter stations near Saxmundham, Suffolk and Minster, Kent.

National Grid has said it is carrying out ecological surveys and liaising with local groups.

It said the cable would provide a two gigawatt, high voltage direct current (HVDC) electricity connection, helping reach the target of net zero emissions by 2050.

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