East Suffolk Council
Victory in East Suffolk as National Grid Ventures’ Nautilus interconnector project set to leave
East Suffolk Council has welcomed the news from Ofgem that National Grid Ventures’ proposed Nautilus project will no longer be connecting within East Suffolk, favouring a connection at the Isle of Grain, Kent.
The news comes after the recent Ofgem Initial Project Assessment (IPA) consultation which sought community and stakeholder feedback on the proposal to relocate the UK’s onshore connection for Nautilus within East Suffolk at Friston, as opposed to the recently assessed (and dismissed) Isle of Grain location.
The Nautilus project proposes a 1.4 gigawatt electricity interconnector cable due to connect Belgium with the UK, running under the North Sea. The project is cited as increasing grid connectivity and resilience between the two countries, whilst helping to meet legally binding climate change targets including net zero, also reducing electricity cost to consumers.
The announcement demonstrates that Ofgem and the project promoter (National Grid Ventures) do listen to the feedback received, with National Grid Ventures’ statement confirming that “Community and stakeholder feedback has been essential to the evolution of Nautilus. We have always advocated for the Isle of Grain as the best location for Nautilus given it’s already a major hub for energy infrastructure and has the potential to offer the shortest offshore cable route to Belgium. This view was reinforced by community and stakeholder feedback. Now that Ofgem has approved Nautilus, we will continue to develop the project at Grain and look forward to engaging the community on our plans during future consultation.”
Having made it clear that Ofgem’s wish to bring such a project back to East Suffolk, overlooked the significant social and environmental costs, Cllr Tom Daly (Cabinet Member for Energy and Climate Change), is delighted with this development.
He said: “We have been calling on Ofgem to reverse such a decision and allow Nautilus to proceed to the Isle of Grain, rather than putting short term cost advantages before all else - including exploring possible future economies in coordinating multiple projects at a brownfield site rather than peppering our heritage coast with unplanned-for industrial development. The change of heart is welcome news for East Suffolk Council and the local communities it represents.
“The political leadership and technical expertise within East Suffolk Council has enabled Ofgem to see sense and listen to the concerns of local people within the communities set to be impacted by such a project. It has been a long road, however it is moments like today which make it all worthwhile.’