Campaigners' hopes that offshore wind farm cables could be routed to Kent, instead of through Suffolk, appear to have taken a blow after a regulator ruled out the move.
Suffolk county councillor Richard Rout, the deputy cabinet member for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), has revealed in an online column that the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) had announced that the so-called Nautilus interconnector would be routed to Friston.
The interconnector cable was set to take power from offshore wind farms to the UK and Belgium, providing enough electricity for around 1.4 million UK homes.
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Power firm National Grid's plan had always been to route the underground cabling and onshore infrastructure for Nautilus through east Suffolk, but campaigners had been hopeful that an alternative onshore site could be found at the Isle of Grain in Kent.
Nautilus is one of a number of cables carrying offshore power that are set to be routed through Friston, with Sea Link, connecting Suffolk and Kent and LionLink, between the UK and Netherlands, among the other projects.
Groups, such as Suffolk Energy Action Solutions (SEAS), have expressed concerns about bringing cabling onshore through Suffolk to a substation at Friston and converter station at Saxmundham, particularly around the impact on the environment and communities.
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Suffolk county councillor Richard Rout has expressed concerns about the impact of OFGEM's decision on Friston (image: SCC)Mr Rout said the OFGEM announcement, linked to the high costs involved with the Kent proposal, was "difficult news" for Friston where a "myriad of projects were now converging on the small village".
He added: "For Friston, the reality of this has been stark.
"Recently, with colleagues in Public Health, Suffolk County Council has been looking at the impact of the deluge of proposals on mental wellbeing in the area.
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"When looking at NSIPs, this cannot be underestimated and it is my view that it is something neither developers, nor government has taken seriously to date.
"Clearly, if all of these projects are to converge on Friston - and my hope is they may not - then they must be coordinated to at least minimise the impacts.
"While it’s inexcusable that the schemes have emerged in such an iterative way, it would be doubly inexcusable to now not see them work together."
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