28 July 2020 Pembrokeshire County Council approves onshore planning applications
Greenlink Interconnector Limited has welcomed the decision today by Pembrokeshire County Council to approve the remaining planning applications relating to onshore works for the project, which will link the power markets of Great Britain and Ireland.
Pembrokeshire County Council’s Planning Committee approved two applications: A full planning application for the installation of the second stretch of underground cables from the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority’s boundary to the existing National Grid substation adjacent to the Pembroke Power Station; and an outline planning application for development of a converter station nearby. The applications were both approved unanimously.
This follows the consent on 15th July by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority for the cabling between the Welsh landfall site at Freshwater West to the boundary with Pembrokeshire County Council.
Nigel Beresford, CEO for Greenlink Interconnector Limited, said:
“Pembrokeshire County Council’s consent is great news for the project and is a major milestone towards the construction of Greenlink.
The unanimous approvals by members of both Pembrokeshire County Council and Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority are a reflection of the time and effort we have taken to develop a project of a high technical and environmental standard, with the valuable input of local stakeholders.
We will now work with Pembrokeshire County Council, key stakeholders and the local community to finalise our detailed designs as part of the reserved matters process. We will also work to ensure that local businesses have a chance to benefit from the construction of the scheme and we will be making plans to hold 'meet-the-buyer’ events in the local area.”
In Pembrokeshire the Greenlink interconnector comprises a subsea cable intended to come ashore under the beach and dunes at Freshwater West and continuing underground to a new converter station located near to the existing National Grid substation.
Greenlink is one of Europe’s most important energy infrastructure projects. At 200km and with a nominal capacity of 500MW, the electricity interconnector brings benefits on both sides of the Irish Sea for energy security, regional investment, jobs and the cost-effective integration of low carbon energy.
The marine planning applications in both Wales and Ireland were submitted towards the end of 2019 and the application for onshore works in Ireland is currently being finalised. The project is expected to have a three-year construction programme, offering valuable local supply chain opportunities.
CONTACT FOR MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Anna Stanford, Communications Adviser: +44 7961 234634 Anna.Stanford@greenlink.ie General enquiries: info@greenlink.ie
About Greenlink
Greenlink is a proposed interconnector linking the power markets in Ireland and Great Britain. The project comprises a subsea and underground cable and associated converter stations to connect EirGrid’s Great Island transmission substation in County Wexford (Ireland) and National Grid’s Pembroke transmission substation in Pembrokeshire (Wales). It has a nominal capacity of 500MW. The privately-financed project is being developed by Greenlink Interconnector Limited and is expected to be fully operational in 2023. More details at: www.greenlink.ie @Greenlink_IC