UK Locals to Have Their Say on Viking Link Interconnector

National Grid Viking Link Ltd (NGVL) will be inviting Linconshire residents to provide their feedback on proposals for an electricity cable link between Denmark and the UK, with the launch of a six-week public consultation on Monday, 11 April.

Viking Link is a proposal to build a high voltage direct current (HVDC) electricity interconnector, 740 kilometres long, between Bicker Fen in Lincolnshire, Great Britain and the substation Revsing in southern Jutland, Denmark.

The interconnector would enable more effective use of renewable energy, access to sustainable electricity generation and improved security of electricity supplies, NGVL says.

It is being developed in co-operation between National Grid Viking Link Ltd and Energinet.dk, the Danish electricity transmission system operator.

NGVL will be 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. People will be able to find out more and give their views at six public consultation events that the company will be holding during April.

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 our equipment. 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, at a point just south of Sandilands Golf Course, and at Anderby Creek.

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

Locals will have until Friday, 20 May, to give their views. Following feedback from the 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 these points and will carry out a further public consultation on cable route options in the summer.