I visited Chilling Farm with County Councillor Geoff Hockley and will do all I can from Parliament to stop the Interconnector coming here. So far, Hampshire County Council's (HCC) refusal to sell this beautiful coastal greenfield land and tenanted farmland has been welcomed by local residents.
The background
Interconnectors are transmission cables that allow electricity to flow between countries, and can be used to import or export power. Britain has four such links already representing around 5% of existing electricity generation capacity. The UK government is signed up to the European Commission benchmark of achieving 10% interconnector capacity by 2020. This support is based on the premise that more interconnection would improve energy security, lower bills, and potentially allow the integration of low-carbon generation.
The National Grid is developing a number of potential interconnector projects and have formed a company – National Grid IFA2 Ltd (NGIL) to develop a proposed link between Normandy, in France, and Chilling, Hampshire. The project is being promoted jointly by R’eseau de Transport d’Electricitié (RTE), the transmission system owner and operator in France, and National Grid IFA2 Ltd (NGIL), a wholly owned subsidiary of National Grid Plc.
Following NGIL's option appraisal, the land at Chilling was identified as a preferred site for interconnector infrastructure building. This was based on the site satisfying several criteria, including proximity to the point of connection and technical feasibility.
Next steps
The converter station building would require 4 ha of land together with a temporary requirement for up to an additional 4 ha. NGIL’s preferred site is close to the coastline which is designated as a Special Protection Area. The converter station would be up to 25m high and cover an area of land 200m by 200m (40,000 m2), about the size of 4 football pitches and a similar height to a six to seven storey building.
Despite the refusal to sell the land by HCC, we can't ignore the possibility of NGIL seeking to purchase it compulsorily using powers under the Electricity Act. Compensation would be paid out to the HCC at a reduced rate, but to my mind, no amount of compensation or mitigation would suffice for the irrevocable loss of natural beauty in this area, which includes the Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve, the reedbeds, saltings and marshes which attract rare birds. The low sand cliffs of Chilling and Bronwich are precious and should be protected.
I support HCC's view that the construction of such a building would have a highly detrimental effect and impact on what is a beautiful and unspoilt area of coastline designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA). I hope that alternatives will be explored instead: eg HCA owned land at the Daedalus Enterprise Zone or the land around Fawley Power Station. I will ensure that local residents' objections are represented on this important issue.