UNDERGROUND electricity cables linking the UK and Ireland have been approved by Pembrokeshire County Council.
The next stage of the Geenlink Interconnector scheme has bee given the go ahead, following on from Pembrokeshire Coast National Park approval for a section on Freshwater beach earlier this month.
Members of the planning committee approved two sections of the proposal to link the electricity grids at a virtual meeting on July 28.
One application was for underground High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) and High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) electricity cables on land at Neath Farm, to the south of Pembroke Power Station and another for a converter station.
The plan for a converter station on land at Lambeeth Farm includes an upgraded permanent access road from Wallaston Cross.
Questions were raised about the visual impact of the construction, which will take around 24 months the committee were told, but there was overall support for the plan.
Planning agent Tom Brinnicombe added that asset protection agreements were being drawn up with Valero and RWE to ensure pipeline and site safety.
“The aim of Greenlink is to enhance energy security by providing a link between the European and British energy markets, thereby allowing the further integration of renewable and low carbon energy sources. Greenlink would also increase competition within the energy market and facilitate fuel diversity to the benefit of consumers in Great Britain, Ireland and continental Europe,” states the planning report.
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