Public consultation launched for Viking Link interconnector project in Great Britain

National Grid Viking Link Ltd (NGVL) has launched the first phase of public consultation on the Viking Link project. The Viking Link project is holding a series of six public exhibitions where members of the project team are on hand to listen to and answer questions about the project. The public events form part of a six week consultation period which opened on Monday 11^th April 2016 and will close on Friday 20^th May 2016. Members of the public are being encouraged to provide their feedback to help shape the project at this important stage.

Viking Link is a proposal to link Britain and Denmark’s electricity systems, enabling Britain to import and export electricity to the continent. This will help provide Britain with a secure supply of affordable electricity and help the move towards more renewable and low carbon sources of energy. It is being developed in co-operation between National Grid Viking Link Ltd and Energinet.dk, the Danish electricity transmission system operator

The project would involve installing two high voltage, direct current, submarine and underground cables between Revsing in Denmark and Bicker Fen. A ‘converter station’ would also be needed in the Bicker Fen area to change the ‘direct current’ electricity into the ‘alternating current’. Up to six underground alternating current cables will link the converter station to the existing Bicker Fen 400kV electricity substation.

Viking Link are asking residents, farmers, landowners, councils and other organisations for their views on potential sites where the cables could come ashore and possible locations for a converter station.  The public’s views are being sought at the public exhibitions and via the Viking Link website (www.viking-link.com).

Oliver Wood, National Grid Viking Link Project Director, said: “Viking Link will help provide our country with a secure supply of affordable electricity. We want to work with the local community to find the best location for our equipment and to minimize any impact on local communities.

“We are keen to hear what people have to say. Their opinions matter and will help us to identify where we should build the project. We would urge people to come along to the consultation events, find out more about the project and let us know what they think.”

Following discussions with local authorities and other bodies, NGVL has shortlisted three potential cable landfall sites at:

• Huttoft Bank;
• a point just south of Sandilands Golf Course;
• Anderby Creek.

Consultation events on these options are being held at:

• Thursday 21 April, Anderby Village Hall, 12pm – 8pm
• Saturday 23 April, Huttoft Village Hall, 10am – 4pm
• Wednesday 27 April, Sandilands Grange and Links Hotel, 12pm – 8pm

The company has also identified four possible converter station sites, all within a five-kilometre radius of the Bicker Fen 400kV substation. Three public consultation events will be held in the areas of the proposed converter station sites:

• Thursday 14 April, Swineshead Village Hall, 12pm-8pm
• Saturday 16 April, Bicker Village Hall, 10am – 4pm
• Friday 22 April, The Ruby Hunt Centre, Donington, 12pm -8pm

People will have until Friday 20 May to give their views. Following feedback from this phase of public consultation, the company will confirm a preferred converter station location and landfall point for the cables.

The project team will then look at potential cable routes between the preferred landfall and converter station sites and will carry out a further public consultation on cable route options in the summer.

To find out more about the public consultations and how you can get involved, please click on this link.

More information can be found on this website and for further questions, please contact the project team on 0800 731 0561 or email [email protected].