COURT OF APPEAL GRANTS SASES PERMISSION TO APPEAL SASES believes Scottish Power & National Grids EA1N & EA2 wind farm developments represent a dangerous local flood risk and fail to deal with many issues of cumulative impact.
UK Government announces ‘Lionlink’ interconnector …It’s Eurolink rebranded LIONLINK/EUROLINK ANNOUNCEMENT, IT’S NOT NEW NEWS The latest Secretary of State responsible for energy at the new Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), Grant Shapps, announced LionLink
November 2022 – Consultations for Sealink & Eurolink National Grid subsidiaries ‘NGET’ & ‘NGV’ launch public consultations for Sealink & Eurolink National Grid has begun public consultations on two new energy link projects called Sealink and Eurolink.
BEIS & Energy officials visit the Suffolk Coast September 2022 October 2022: by Bill Halford SASES BEIS, National Grid, Ofgem, RUK visit East Suffolk on 9th September 2022 A delegation of officials from the Department for Business,
‘Suffolk Under Threat’ film explores energy developments threat to the Suffolk coast https://vimeo.com/675875579 Documentary filmmakers ZeroGravity films visited the Suffolk coast and were shocked to learn about plans for multiple energy projects. ZeroGravity produced this short film
SASES Responses To BEIS Request For Further Information and Comment – Flooding, Landscape & Ecology ‘Badgers’ FURTHER TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE REQUEST SASES HAS PROVIDED SUBMISSIONS ON EA1N & EA2 PROPOSALS 29TH JANUARY 2022 SASES has
SASES Brief Friston villagers on National Grid Ventures NGV Nautilus Proposal VILLAGERS IN FRISTON HAVE VOICED DISMAY AT NATIONAL GRIDS’ NGV NAUTILUS PROPOSALS 28th September 2021 SASES HEAR VILLAGE ANGER & DISMAY AT NATIONAL GRIDS PRESUMPTUOUS NAUTILUS
SPR EA1 cable landing Bawdsey: John Fielding 2018 suffolk ‘energy connection pathfinder’ urgently needed BEIS MINISTER MUST ACT TO SAVE SUFFOLK COAST & AONB FROM UNNECESSARY ENERGY DAMAGE 27th September 2021 SUFFOLK ACTION GROUPs – GOVERNMENT MINISTER
Huge fire at Sellindge substation in Kent. UK French electricty cable knocked out for up to 6 months National Grids Sellindge convertor station fire 16th September 2021 UP TO 12 FIRE ENGINES WERE ONSITE AS THE FIRE
new poster campaign and video STOP Scottish Power & National Grid SASES CAMPAIGN LAUNCH – 15TH SEPTEMBER 2021 NEW POSTERS, BANNERS AND VIDEO RELEASED SASES will launch an autumn blitz of publicity featuring new posters, banners and
Norfolk MP George Freeman has announced that government department BEIS will review the environmental impact of energy proposals along the Suffolk & Norfolk coast.
Scottish power’s application for DCO’s for EA1N & EA2 are received by the Planning Inspectorate.
SASES & Friston Parish Council send multipoint letter to Planning Inspectorate setting out the inadequacies of the pre-application consultations.
Surface water from fields surrounding the village have caused 2 floods in the centre of the village in October (click more for the full story)..
72% of tourism businesses surveyed ‘fairly worried’ or ‘very worried’. Economic impact could be between -£24million to -£40 million annually
Our community is shocked and angry the Energy Coast Suffolk is set to destroy the Suffolk Heritage Coast and damage tourism. Scottish Power, National Grid and other energy companies plans are unbelievable..
Scottish Power’s cable corridor to connect proposed off shore wind farms EA1N & EA2 to the grid set to close, disrupt or divert large stretches of popular footpaths including the ‘Sandlings’ walk.
The SEAS campaign looks at the human/emotional and environmental impact of Scottish Power, National Grid and other energy companies plans.
28th March 2019 – EMAIL FROM GEORGE FREEMAN MP
A Proper Plan for bringing electricity from offshore wind farms to the National Grid
As someone who I know shares an interest in our countryside and the impact of major development on our communities, habitats and landscape, I thought you’d appreciate a quick update on the massive development of cables and substations by international energy companies across Norfolk (and Suffolk).
Recently I secured and led a debate in Parliament to highlight the important issues raised by the planned development, at which the Minister gave some important undertakings.
Key points:
– The development of the major Southern North Sea wind farms will see 10 massive wind farms off the Norfolk and Suffolk Coast
– To bring the electricity onshore will require hundreds of kilometres of high voltage cabling and connection to the National Grid via substations
– Whilst I – like you I’m sure – support offshore renewable wind energy, it is vital that the cabling and connectivity infrastructure is properly planned: to maximise efficiency, reduce waste and cost and to avoid unnecessary landscape, environmental and economic disruption across our county
– The first application for our area came in 2009, for a substation proposed to be at Little Dunham, on high ground visible to a huge area, before I and local councillors worked to negotiate for it to be moved to low lying land off the A47 at Necton
– We now have two more substations (these are the size of Wembley Stadium!) coming to Necton, with 150km of high voltage cabling being buried in trenches across the county). As before, the developer, in this case Vattenfall, have proposed putting the structures on top of a hill – affecting over 5 villages
– But this time the developer is not prepared to discuss putting the station in low lying land, relying on the special planning rules for nationally significant infrastructure to override local concerns.
– The first two farms alone have led to 150km and 2500 acres of farmland affected by cabling.
– In the next 5-10yrs, our area will see another 10 wind farms built offshore, and National Grid are currently proposing that each one makes its own arrangements for cabling and substation connectivity.
This is bonkers.
It is obvious to just about everyone who has looked at this that there ought to be an Offshore Ring Main with one or two connections onshore to the Grid – paid for by the consortia behind the farms (which are all heavily subsidised by us as taxpayers).
I believe we need a proper strategic Plan for bringing the offshore electricity onshore to the Grid (and making sure we have enough electricity here in Norfolk for all the new housing on the A11 corridor), which minimises disruption, cost, waste and landscape impact.
It is also only fair that the villages which carry the National Infrastructure for the nation should benefit in some way – with some contribution by the developer to local facilities.
After 3 years of working with many villages and Parish Councils, last week I raised the issues in a debate in Parliament.
The Minister gave a number of important undertakings – including supporting the call for a proper Offshore Ring Main – and has agreed to meet with me, other MPs, Councillors and organisations concerned at the impact on our countryside and communities.
I am now convening an Offshore Energy Connection Plan Alliance (OECPA) to pursue this.
If you – or anyone you know would like to be kept informed – please let me now and feel free to forward this bulletin on.
To watch the debate in Parliament in full, please click the link to my website here: https://www.georgefreeman.co.uk/content/offshore-wind-energy-debate-0
I also include:
– The Hansard transcript of the debate (also attached)
– A link to the Petition: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/240822
– A link to the campaign page with all my up-to-date work on this issue: https://www.georgefreeman.co.uk/content/offshore-wind-farms-and-vattenfall
– Widespread media coverage of the debate:
https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/george-freeman-in-debate-over-norfolk-and-suffolk-windfarms-1-5932011
https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/update/2019-03-12/mps-concerns-over-power-cables-and-substations/
Please circulate this to anyone else you know who is concerned about our countryside and planning system and encourage them to please:
– Sign the Petition
Together – we CAN make a difference.
I believe we owe it to the generations who will come after us to get this right and leave our county as beautiful as we found it.
Yours,
George Freeman MP
Member of Parliament for Mid Norfolk
8 Damgate Street | Wymondham | NR18 0BQ
01953 600 617
www.georgefreeman.co.uk
To join the 25,000+ people following me on social media: Twitter @GeorgeFreemanMP Facebook @GeorgeFreemanMidNorfolk
26th March 2019 – Friston Parish Council & SASES response to EA1N & EA2 ‘Phase 4 Consultation’
Friston Parish Council with SASES working group response to EA1N &EA2 Final Stage Consultations – read the joint response >>>
26th March 2019 – Suffolk Authorities response to EA1N & EA2 ‘Phase 4 Consultation’
East Suffolk & Suffolk County Council response to EA1N &EA2 Final Stage Consultations – read the joint response >>>
On Monday Scottish Power met with Friston Parish Council to confirm selection of Grove Wood, Friston. Also in attendance were members of the action group SASES, Suffolk County & District Councillors Russ Ranger and TJ Haworth-Culf.
This meeting was requested by Scottish Power, below is a summary of some key issues covered:
Site Selection Decision Presentation to Friston PC 10th December 2018 >>> – Presentation Slides provided by Scottish Power
It is with great sadness that we can confirm that Scottish Power are pressing forward with their unrelenting assault on Friston in their pursuit for profit over environment and communities. Scottish Power’s announcement takes forward a ‘worst case scenario’. Scottish Powers plans represent both needless damage to the SC&H AONB and the destruction of the character of the unassumingly, peaceful village of Friston.
SASES have released a media release to local and national press. SASES would like to let the SOS Group (Save Our Sandlings) know that we are fully supportive of their fight for the the AONB and that we hope to work closely together to shut down this unrelenting push from energy companies to destroy the Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB and wider rural landscape of East Suffolk.
Click here to read SASES’s Media Release >>>
We have launched a donations page to help fight for the future of Friston and the wider Suffolk landscape. It is essential we are prepared, if needed to mount a legal challenge against Scottish Power and others who feel the AONB and East Suffolk is fair game for development.
