Viking Link Consultations to Start Next Week

National Grid Viking Link Ltd (NGVL) will be inviting local people to have their say on proposals for an electricity cable link between Denmark and Lincolnshire, with the launch of a six-week public consultation on Monday, April 11.

Viking Link is a proposal to link Britain and Denmark’s electricity systems, enabling Britain to import and export electricity to the continent. This should 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, undersea 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 that is used on land. Underground cables would link the converter station to the existing Bicker Fen electricity substation.

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, NGVLL has shortlisted three potential cable landfall sites: Huttoft Bank, a point just south of Sandilands Golf Course and 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:

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

A further three will be held in the proposed areas where the cables could come ashore:

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

People will have until Friday, May 20 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.