Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority Development Management Committee has approved the application for the Greenlink Interconnector’s underground cables and associated works between the Welsh landfall site at Freshwater West to the boundary with Pembrokeshire County Council.
This marks the first step in a series of planning consents required for the 200 km subsea and underground electricity interconnector, which will link the power markets in Ireland and Great Britain.
Separate planning applications have been submitted to Pembrokeshire County Council for the onward installation of cables to the substation at Pembroke Power Station and for the development of a converter station. Pembrokeshire County Council is scheduled to consider these two applications at its Planning Committee on 28th July.
The marine planning applications in both Wales and Ireland were submitted towards the end of 2019 and the application for onshore works in Ireland is currently being prepared. The project is expected to have a three-year construction program, offering valuable local supply chain opportunities.
Greenlink Interconnector is owned by Element Power and Partners Group. The total project investment is estimated at €400 million (US$456 million).