THE FIGHT TO STOP AQUIND CONTINUES

Very rarely, if ever, does an issue unite people of all political persuasions, local and national politicians, and residents of all nationalities, religious beliefs, and social standings.

Aquind Interconnector is such an issue. Objections to it bound a passionate group of people together, committed to defending their city and its environs against the destructive unnecessary proposal. MPs and Councillors were unanimous in their criticism. Residents along the route are united.

We are looking to raise awareness of the Aquind Interconnector as much as possible in the next few months. We know that the decision process is building momentum, with the recent statement of the Secretary of State being published at the start of March and objections needing to be made by the end of March 2023 (see below on how to object).

There is also concern over the recent ‘Statement of Cooperation on Energy between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the French Republic’ signed in Paris on the 10th March 2023 (you can read/download a PDF copy HERE). There feels like a rush to get Aquind through…maybe before a general election in the not too distant future?

We need people to find out about the impact Aquind will have on their lives as soon as possible, and we need your help to do that. The Stop Aquind team are all people volunteering their time and skills but some things require financial support, like poster printing, etc. If you can help in any way please donate to our Go Fund Me campaign HERE.

This new video is a deep dive in to the issues surrounding the proposed Aquind Interconnector project and the legacy of contaminated land in Portsmouth. The proposed route for deep trench digging will be past or through some locations that are well documented to contain heavy metals, asbestos and more contaminants.

A full list of sources and references are located at the end of the film. At time of publishing, all effort was made to use the most up to date and accurate public information in the writing and creation of this video, and to reference all copyrighted material used/shown as fair dealing for criticism, review or quotation and for the purpose of reporting current events.

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT – LET’S STOP AQUIND CORRECTS CLAIMS MADE BY AQUIND LIMITED’S PR REPRESENTATIVE ON GB NEWS TV THIS MORNING

RESPONSE TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR ENERGY SECURITY AND NET ZERO’S REQUEST

Aquind: Portsmouth will rally to see off menace of company’s plan to dig up city for energy interconnector project – Portsmouth News (ARTICLE)
“Now is the time for Portsmouth to raise its voice again as we urge the government to turn down Aquind’s bid to dig up our city as part of its interconnector scheme.“

Aquind: Government loses bid to block cross-Channel electricity cable – BBC News (ARTICLE)
“The UK government’s decision to refuse permission for a £1.2bn electricity link between England and France has been overturned in the High Court.“

Aquind wins judicial review to build interconnector meaning decision will be looked at again by the government – Portsmouth News (ARTICLE)
“Aquind says it has won a bid to have a second attempt to build an electricity interconnector in Hampshire countryside and lay cables through Portsmouth.“

Aquind’s proposal is to install cables, designed to carry 2 million watts of electricity, under Eastney beach and to dig trenches and drill tunnels from the landing-place, South to North, to connect the cables to The National Grid at Lovedean. Electricity generated in Europe could flow to the UK and vice versa. The construction of this project would mean many months of disruption and untold damage to the fabric of the city and along the route. Toxic material long-buried safely in landfill sites might be unearthed, further harming the environment in a city already suffering severe congestion.

Traffic chaos, causing much pollution, would negatively affect the people who live in, and those who would want to visit, Portsmouth. Let us not forget Portsmouth is the 2nd most densely populated city outside London.

The project is being imposed upon the city and South Hampshire by the Government. It was rejected by Portsmouth City Council and the various County and Parish Councils along the route when first proposed by the developer, Aquind. Following the local rejection, Aquind took their case to the Government Department dealing with energy supply (BEIS). They wanted the project to be given NSIP(Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project) status and then to apply for a DCO( Development Consent Order) thus removing all decision-making from local to national level.

The then Secretary of State for the Department directed that their request be granted. This was no surprise as he had previously been publicly very supportive of the scheme. This direction effectively took control and any decisions out of the hands of local interests. It allowed the developer to push on with the proposal, following legislation embodied in the Planning Act of 2008. Examination of their application by the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) took place this year, its Recommendation went to BEIS in early June and in September a decision will be announced by the current SoS (Secretary of State) at BEIS Kwasi Kwarteng.

You can read more here about the issues around the Aquind Interconnector project:

• Aquind: Government loses bid to block cross-Channel electricity cable – BBC News
• Anne-Marie Trevelyan ‘risked misleading parliament by omission’ over energy project lobbying – The Times
• Pandora Papers: Businessman linked to Tory donations made millions from alleged fraud – The BBC
• Russian tycoon’s link to alleged corruption in leaked files raises questions for Tory ministers – The Guardian
• Kwasi Kwarteng accused of misleading claims over power cable project – The Guardian
• Embezzlement Allegations Cast Shadow OVER AQUIND ENERGY PROJECT – Byline Times
• Cable tycoon lobbied Brexit negotiator Lord Frost over energy deal – The Times
• Firm Behind Giant Channel Cable Project is Owned by Former Soviet Oil Men and is Generous Conservative Donor – Byline Times
• Tories take £280k from Russia-linked donors in year since report called for crackdown – The Mirror
• Calls for ministers to ‘come clean’ over links to cross-Channel power cable sponsor – The Guardian
• Questions remain as cross-channel power line decision approaches – Sky News
• FOI Aquind Meeting Minutes with Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy – What Do They Know
• Local authority accuses secretive Russian Tory donor’s firm of ‘abusing planning laws’ – Open Democracy
• Energy minister met Russia-linked donor Alexander Temerko despite warnings of ‘trap’ – The Times
• Russian influence in UK under the spotlight – CNN

Below are some of our latest news articles, you can read more news HERE.