25 November 2019
Exhibitions in Pembrokeshire will take place week commencing Monday 2 December
Opportunity to comment on the draft onshore planning documents including the Environmental Impact Assessment
As part of the continuing public consultation on the proposed Greenlink Interconnector, which will connect the electricity grids of Great Britain and Ireland, details have been announced of a fourth round of public exhibitions in Pembrokeshire, Wales, next week (2 – 5 December), as follows:
Hundleton: Monday 2 December, 2pm to 8pm Sports Pavilion, Hundleton, Pembroke
Angle: Tues 3 December, 2pm to 8pm Angle Village Hall, Angle, Pembroke SA71 5AS
Pembroke Dock: Weds 4 December, 2pm to 6pm Pater Hall, Dimond St, Pembroke Dock SA72 6DD
Pembroke: Thursday 5 December, 2pm to 8pm Pembroke Town Hall, Main St, Pembroke SA71 4JS
Greenlink [1] is one of Europe’s most important energy infrastructure projects. The electricity interconnector brings benefits on both sides of the Irish Sea for energy security, jobs and the cost-effective integration of low carbon energy. The privately-financed project is being developed by Greenlink Interconnector Limited and is planned for commissioning in 2023.
In Pembrokeshire the 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 Pembroke substation. The project is expected to have a three-year construction programme, offering local supply chain opportunities.
The exhibition will present the latest news and documents on the project. The Marine Licence Application submitted to Natural Resources Wales and currently the subject of a formal public consultation will be available to view. Stakeholders are invited to comment to NRW before 8 January 2020 [2]
The Greenlink team will also be presenting the draft planning application documents for the onshore components of the project, including the draft Environmental Impact Assessment, ahead of submission of the onshore planning application to Pembrokeshire County Council and Pembrokeshire Park National Park Authority in early 2020.
Tom Brinicombe, planning & permitting consultant for Wales, said;
“We are pleased to be able to give a further update to local residents on the design and development of the Greenlink project as part of our consultation process. We have received very valuable feedback to date, which we have incorporated into the project design so far, but would like to seek further views on the draft onshore planning application due to be submitted in early 2020.
We have worked hard to design a project of the highest environmental and technical standards and are committed to minimising impacts throughout. This includes on the beach and dunes at Freshwater West and I can confirm that the Marine Licence application recently submitted to Natural Resources Wales Application does not include any requirement for construction work on the beach or in the dunes. The cables will be installed by drilling the cables under the beach and dunes therefore minimising any impact on the environment and beach users. We will also be targeting installation to take place away from the summer months.
We are keen to hear local residents’ views on the onshore proposals, including the underground cable route and the converter station. We encourage everyone with an interest in the project to come along to the exhibitions and discuss the proposals with us.
As always, we are also keen to hear from local businesses that wish to be involved in the project - from civil engineering firms to local bed and breakfasts. Greenlink has the potential to bring significant regional investment and we want to optimise the economic benefits for the area.”
ENDS
CONTACTS FOR MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Anna Stanford, Communications Consultant:
M: +44 7961 234634 Anna.Stanford@greenlink.ie
Notes to Editors:
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 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
Stakeholders are encouraged to submit comments to Natural Resources Wales ahead of the 8 January 2020 deadline https://naturalresources.wales/permits-and-permissions/permit-applications-consultations-and-decisions/current-consultations-marine-licence-applicantions/?lang=en Write to the Permitting Service, Natural Resources Wales, Cambria House, 29 Newport Rd, Cardiff CF24 0TP or by email to marinelicensing@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk, quoting reference number CML1929 in all correspondence.