Notice is hereby given that the Planning Inspectorate (on behalf of the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (‘the Secretary of State’)) has accepted an application made by National Grid Electricity Transmission plc (company number 02366977) of National Grid House, Warwick Technology Park, Gallows Hill, Warwick, CV34 6DA (‘the Applicant’) for a Development Consent Order (DCO) under the Planning Act 2008 (‘the Application’). The Application (Reference No. EN020026) was submitted by the Applicant to the Secretary of State c/o the Planning Inspectorate on 27 March 2025 and accepted by the Secretary of State for Examination on 23 April 2025.

Summary of the Application

On 4 March 2022, the Applicant submitted a request for a direction, pursuant to Section 35 of the Planning Act 2008, to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) (now known as the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero) for the Project to be treated as development for which development consent is required. A direction was issued on 31 March 2022 confirming the Sea Link project (the “Project”) can be treated as such in accordance with Section 35(1) of the Planning Act 2008. Development consent is therefore required for the Project and it is for this reason that the Project falls within the remit of the Secretary of State’s decision-making powers.

The DCO for the Project would comprise the following elements:

The Suffolk Onshore Scheme

• A connection from the existing transmission network via Friston Substation, including the substation itself. Friston Substation already has development consent as part of other third-party projects. If Friston Substation has already been constructed under another consent, only a connection into the substation would be constructed as part of the Proposed Project.

• A high voltage alternating current (HVAC) underground cable of approximately 1.9 km in length between the proposed Friston Substation and a proposed converter station (below).

• A 2 GW high voltage direct current (HVDC) converter station (including permanent access from the B1121 and a new bridge over the River Fromus) up to 26 m high plus external equipment (such as lightning protection, safety rails for maintenance works, ventilation equipment, aerials, similar small scale operational plant, or other roof treatment) near Saxmundham.

• A HVDC underground cable connection of approximately 10 km in length between the proposed converter station near Saxmundham, and a transition joint bay (TJB) approximately 900 m inshore from a landfall point (below) where the cable transitions from onshore to offshore technology.

• A landfall on the Suffolk coast (between Aldeburgh and Thorpeness). The Offshore Scheme

• Approximately 122 km of subsea HVDC cable, running between the Suffolk landfall location (between Aldeburgh and Thorpeness), and the Kent landfall location at Pegwell Bay. The Kent Onshore Scheme

• A landfall point on the Kent coast at Pegwell Bay.

• A TJB approximately 800 m inshore to transition from offshore HVDC cable to onshore HVDC cable, before continuing underground for approximately 1.7 km to a new converter station (below).

• A 2 GW HVDC converter station (including a new permanent access off the A256), up to 28 m high plus external equipment such as lightning protection, safety rails for maintenance works, ventilation equipment, aerials, and similar small scale operational plant near Minster. A new substation would be located immediately adjacent.

• Removal of approximately 2.2 km of existing HVAC overhead line, and installation of two sections of new HVAC overhead line, together totalling approximately 3.5 km, each connecting from the substation near Minster and the existing Richborough to Canterbury overhead line.

The Project also includes modifications to sections of existing overhead lines in Suffolk (only if Friston Substation is not built pursuant to another extant consent) and Kent, diversions of third-party assets, and land drainage from the construction and operational footprint. It also includes opportunities for environmental mitigation and compensation. The construction phase will involve various temporary construction activities including overhead line diversions, use of temporary towers or masts, working areas for construction equipment and machinery, site offices, parking spaces, storage, accesses, bellmouths, and haul roads, as well as watercourse crossings and the diversion of public rights of way and other ancillary operations.

The DCO would also make provision for Associated Development for the construction and maintenance of the Project, including the diversion of utilities and public rights of way, provision for access, landscape works and environmental mitigation.

The DCO would authorise the compulsory acquisition of land, interests in land and rights over land, and the powers to use land permanently and temporarily for the construction, operation and maintenance of the Project. The DCO would also authorise the construction of temporary and permanent accesses to the Project, the temporary stopping up or diversion of public rights of way, street works, and highway works and the application and disapplication of certain legislation.

A map showing the location of the Project can be viewed online in the Location Plans (Application Document 2.2) under the documents section of the Sea Link page of the Planning Inspectorate's National Infrastructure Planning website at:

https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN020026/documents.

Environmental Impact Assessment

The Project is Environmental Impact Assessment (‘EIA’) development as defined by the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017. The Application is therefore accompanied by an Environmental Statement.

Copies of Application Documents

The application form and accompanying application documents including plans, documents, a map showing the location of the Project, the Environmental Statement and Non-technical Summary (‘NTS’) (Application Documents”) are available for inspection and can be downloaded free of charge on the relevant Project webpage of the Planning Inspectorate’s National Infrastructure Planning website (under the documents tab) at:

https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN020026/documents.

The Application Documents will be available to view online at least until the Secretary of State makes their decision whether or not to grant the DCO.

The Application Documents are available for electronic inspection via computer, free of charge from 08 May 2025 to 23 June 2025, at the following locations and times:

*Please contact the venues in advance to confirm opening hours, any restrictions that may be in place and, if necessary, to arrange an appointment for computer access to view the documents electronically. The details of the opening hours above are correct at the time of this notice. Please note that Monday 26 May 2025 is a Bank Holiday.

The Application Documents can be supplied in hard copy format on request at a cost of £0.35 per page (up to a maximum of £5,000 for the full suite of documents).

If you require a copy of the Application Documents to be supplied on a USB data stick, this can be provided free of charge (one USB data stick per household). Please use the contact details for the Applicant to request a USB data stick. If you have any questions about the Application Documents, you can contact the applicant by email: contact@sealink.nationalgrid.com; by telephone: 0808 134 9569; or by post at Freepost SEA LINK

Making Representations

Any person may make representations on the Application (i.e. give notice of any interest in, or objection to, the Application). Any relevant representation relating to the Application must be submitted on a registration form and give the grounds on which it is made. The Planning Inspectorate have issued detailed advice on registering as an interested party and making a relevant representation, to which you are advised to have regard. This guidance is published on the Planning Inspectorate's National Infrastructure Planning website at:

https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/having-your-say-guide/registering-have-your-say

The period for making a relevant representation starts on 08 May 2025 and will end at 11:59pm on 23 June 2025. Please note that any representations submitted to the Planning Inspectorate will be made public and published on the National Infrastructure Planning website for the Application. Representations will be subject to the Planning Inspectorate's privacy policy at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/planning-inspectorate-privacy-notices/customer-privacy-notice

The Registration and Relevant Representation form will be made available by the Planning Inspectorate once the registration / relevant representation period has opened on the Planning Inspectorate’s website:

https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN020026

Alternatively, you can request a hard copy of the registration / relevant representation form by telephoning 0303 444 5000 quoting the name of the Application and the Inspectorate’s reference number EN020026. The completed form must be received by the deadline for relevant representations. A completed hard copy form to be submitted to the Inspectorate should be sent to: The Planning Inspectorate, Major Applications and Plans, 3D, Temple Quay House, Temple Quay, BRISTOL BS1 6PN.

If your interests in land are not affected or your organisation is not on a list of prescribed bodies, please note that if you want to remain informed of the examination process and entitled to make representations you must fill in a Registration and Relevant Representation Form to register as an interested party even if you do not wish to make a substantive representation at this point.