National Grid’s plans for a vast new electricity converter station and sub-station covering the area of 22 football pitches near the Kent coast is aimed at boosting the south east’s supply of ‘clean green’ energy. So why are environmentalists up in arms?

Here we lay out the proposals and arguments for and against.

What is it?

Sea Link is one of several projects forming part of The Great Grid Upgrade - the largest overhaul of the electricity grid in generations, aimed at boosting and distributing ‘homegrown’ power and helping the UK switch to clean energy.

It has been designed to link the Kent and Suffolk coasts with a 145km undersea high-voltage cable.

What is the potential impact on east Kent?

A landfall point has been identified at Pegwell Bay near Ramsgate which will involve laying a 2.4km underground cable to the site of new converter and substations to be built on Minster Marshes, near Ramsgate.

The buildings, up to almost 100ft high, and infrastructure will cover the area of 22 football pitches, as well as a forest of towering new pylons.

Why is there so much opposition?

Minster Marshes are a vital wildlife habitat and adjacent to a designated nature reserve, supporting a huge variety of endangered birds and mammals, which objectors say will be decimated by the construction work and subsequent buildings.

Who is objecting?

During its public consultation, which ended on December 18, National Grid received more than 2,000 objections, including from Kent Wildlife Trust, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Council for the Protection of Rural England (Kent).

There is also a petition against the project with more than 10,000 signatures and a steering group chaired by David Mairs from the CPRE.

What does the local MP say?

North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale has branded National Grid “arrogant” and says the scheme “represents an act of potential environmental vandalism on a massive scale”.

He describes the development as “massively intrusive, with yet more “hideous pylons” adjacent to Thanet’s only inshore Site of Special Scientific Interest.

“The project is not necessary,“ he insists. “There are alternative brownfield sites at Kingsnorth Power Station and at Tilbury.

“This land in east Kent produces some of the country`s finest bread-grade wheat and is home to dozens of species of birds, mammals and other wildlife.

“We owe it to future generations to protect this national asset and to challenge National Grid`s arrogant belief that it can build wherever it likes with impunity. It cannot and must not.”

Can the government be persuaded to ditch the project?

Campaigner George Cooper fears the scheme could already be “a done deal”.

“So the government minister who will decide this application is the same person whose job it is to accelerate the country towards net zero,” he says.

“It seems the odds are loaded against us and it doesn’t give me much confidence that we are in a fair fight.

“But we have a very good case for protecting our precious countryside and wildlife and there is a huge appetite to take on National Grid over this.”

Why are environmentalists concerned?

The Change.org petition to Save Minster Marshes was started by Kerry Hogben, who says the marshes act as a “critical super highway” for many birds, some of which are on the endangered list.

“To be honest, I have been blown away by the response to the online petition, but it really shows the strength of feeling there is against this scheme,” she said.

Kent Wildlife Trust is calling on National Grid to “Re-think Sea Link”.

It fears the decision to locate on the Minster Marshes has been based on cost to the company rather than to the environment.

“We are supportive of steps taken to develop renewable energy solutions, but it must not be at the cost of wildlife,” says its officers.

“Neither are we are not convinced that the proposed route can be adequately mitigated.

“We are asking the National Grid to examine an alternative route for a cable linking Suffolk and Kent due to fears that decisions are based on the cheapest cost rather than minimising the impact on wildlife at an internationally important National Nature Reserve.”

Also concerned is the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds which fears less damaging route options have been “too easily discarded”, at the expense of designated wildlife sites.

In the charity’s 25-page response to the public consultation, which also covers the National Grids plans in Suffolk, its conservation officers say they are “extremely concerned” about the serious threat the developments pose for protected wildlife sites.

They add: “We are extremely disappointed that infrastructure development has been proposed within important wildlife sites.

“Less damaging route options appear to have been too easily discarded, at the expense of designated wildlife sites.

“We do not agree that this approach has been adequately demonstrated and therefore we object to the proposals in their current form.”

What do the objectors want?

They accuse National Grid of not adequately investigating alternative sites and claim the company has chosen the cheapest option “at the expense of the environment”.

They are urging the company to find a less environmentally damaging location for the project.

What is National Grid’s response?

The company insists Pegwell Bay and Minster Marshes are the only viable locations for the Kent element of its Sea Link scheme and will work to mitigate the impact on wildlife.

Bosses have discounted the nearby Richborough Energy Park and Kingsnorth near Ashford for a variety of reasons including “economic, technical, and environmental factors”. They also say there are no suitable brownfield sites.

“We have been unable to find any brownfield sites within the Converter Station Option Area that are suitable for the infrastructure proposed…..”

“We have assessed different connection locations for Sea Link in Kent including Kingsnorth and Richborough Energy Park which are not suitable for a variety of reasons including economic, technical, and environmental factors,” said a spokesman.

“We have been unable to find any brownfield sites within the converter station option area that are suitable for the infrastructure proposed.

“There is insufficient space at Richborough Energy Park due to the Nemo link converter station, our 400kV substation site and other infrastructure.

“The lorry park adjacent to the energy park is too small. We would be unable to route the cable up the shallow River Stour and, due to the additional complexity of a longer connection, back to the network at Richborough through a highly industrialised area.”

What happens now?

National Grid says it is now examining the responses from its public consultation and anticipates submitting an application for a Development Consent Order this autumn with the Planning Inspectorate holding a series of public hearings in middle or late 2025.

But whatever the inspectorate recommends, it will be the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, who will ultimately make the decision.

If approved, construction work is expected to start in 2026.