On Friday 22 April, four local councillors and a senior member of Caroline Dinenage MP's staff visited the National Grid facility, BritNed, on the Isle of Grain, Kent.
Local MP, Caroline Dinenage, organised the visit to learn more about the implications of interconnectors because of National Grid's proposals to build a similar facility at Daedalus airfield.
The facility at BritNed is not identical to that planned for Daedalus: it was built 7 years ago and technology has moved on. It also has more components located outside than planned for Daedalus. However, the visit provided local Councillors and the MP's staff member with the opportunity to see first-hand the facility and gain an idea of the size of the buildings and the sound and electro-magnetic waves it produces.
It was also an opportunity for Councillors to have their questions answered by National Grid's technical experts in front of similar equipment to that proposed for the IFA2 Interconnector at Daedalus. Local councillors together with residents associations and planners at Fareham Borough Council were all invited.
Those attending agreed that it was a very interesting and rewarding day and well worth the long journey to see for themselves a similar operational site to that being planned for Daedalus.
Councillor Tim Knight for Hill Head Ward said:
"I found it an extremely interesting visit which answered a lot of concerns that I had. A great pity that the three dissenting Resident Associations and my Fareham colleagues did not attend as I think they would have found the visit very helpful. All my questions were fully and satisfactorily answered."
Caroline said:
"A number of constituents have raised concerns about the possible implications of the IFA2 project on our local area. Therefore, I was keen to organise a visit to see a similar interconnector up close and gather information about the facility's impact on the area in which it is situated. I am pleased that the visit to the Isle of Grain provided local councillors and my office with the opportunity to better understand the visual impact, the noise produced and the electro-magnetic emissions of an interconnector."
For more information on the IFA2 interconnector click here.
