Campaigners have accused National Grid of potentially wrecking protected land in its flagship scheme designed to harness renewable energy.

Kent Wildlife Trust has taken aim at the energy giant’s proposals to build a converter station the size of 22 football pitches on Minster Marshes, alongside underground cables to Pegwell Bay.

The controversial plans form part of the firm’s Sea Link project, whereby it hopes to lay 90 miles of undersea cable, designed to come ashore near Sandwich.

Kent Wildlife boss Emma Waller says while the charity supports greener energy, the scheme risks damaging vital habitats and disturbing the ecosystem’s delicate balance.

She said: “Pegwell Bay is an internationally important site for wildlife, especially its migratory and overwintering birds.

“It's also home to Kent's largest seal population and its mudflats, salt marshes and intertidal habitats provide vital feeding, breeding and resting areas, whilst also acting as a natural carbon sink to combat climate change.

“The Sea Link project risks damaging these habitats and disturbing the delicate balance of the ecosystem.

“We are supportive of efforts made to decarbonise the energy sector.

“However, we firmly believe you can't destroy the environment to save the environment.”

Arguing on behalf of the Save Minster Marshes campaign, she said the climate and biodiversity crisis are “two sides of the same coin”, best tackled together.

She added: “This is why we're urging National Grid to rethink Sea Link and look for alternative routes with less environmental constraints.”

Announced last summer, Sea Link is part of The Great Grid Upgrade - the largest overhaul of the electricity grid in generations aiming to help the UK switch to green power.

National Grid believes the project will help it carry more low carbon and renewable energy to homes and businesses across the country.

The firm says it can use “trenchless technologies” to lay the high voltage cable between Kent and Suffolk to minimise the impact on the wildlife-rich terrain.

But Ms Waller and her team worry the mitigation may not come to fruition.

She explained: “They said they would do this several years ago for a similar cable called Nemo Link.

“But, when it came to it, they couldn't.

“They did open-cut trenching of the salt marsh, which has caused irreversible damage.”

A consultation into the plans closes on Monday (January 12).

But campaigners claim this has been advertised “quietly” by the electricity provider, and are urging people to take part before it’s too late.

She said: “We're urging people to make their voices heard.

“So it's critical to highlight the need for National Grid to avoid damaging such precious and irreplaceable sites.

“Alternative solutions must be explored to meet our energy needs whilst also protecting biodiversity.

“Pegwell Bay and Minster Marshes are one of the most environmentally damaging route options that National Grid have chosen.

“Recently, a similar National Grid project called Nautilus has been moved from Suffolk to the Isle of Grain in Kent.”

Nautilus is an approved National Grid scheme for a new subsea cable allowing electricity to flow between the UK and Belgium.

Ms Waller believes it is a “great opportunity” to explore moving Sea Link to the Isle of Grain too.

She continued: “This could reduce environmental impacts and prevent the duplication of infrastructure if these two cables can be in the same location.

“At a minimum, we'd like to see a feasibility study by National Grid to see if this can work.”

She adds that the converter station - set to be 28 metres high - would “really stand out in this area with so much natural beauty”.

A petition against the scheme, started by Kerry Hogben, has gathered more than 12,000 signatures.

National Grid previously says Pegwell Bay and Minster Marshes are the only viable locations for the Kent element of its Sea Link scheme.

Its spokesperson added: “Sea Link is an essential electricity network upgrade to meet the government's 2030 clean power target and is part of a wider programme to upgrade the entire network.

"We have undertaken extensive ecological surveys, alongside consultation with local and national wildlife organisations, to ensure we fully understand the environment in the area.

“Our role is to balance a range of factors, including what’s possible from an engineering and environmental point of view and feedback from local communities.

“The Secretary of State for Energy Security & Net Zero will then make the final decision, following a recommendation from the Planning Inspectorate, on whether we have got that balance right when considering granting planning permission.”