What is Lion Link? And how does it effect Halesworth?
National Grid Ventures (NGV) LionLink project, is a proposed subsea cable (interconnector) linking the UK and Dutch onshore electricity systems, including a connection to a Dutch offshore windfarm in Dutch waters. The project is understood to have a transmission capacity of up to 2 gigawatts (GW) of electricity.
It is understood that should LionLink be consented, following the decision, enabling works would be expected
to begin in 2028, and construction would be expected to complete in 2032.
Landiing is proposed at Walberswick which is a popular holiday destination for many people in Halesworth. Our transport routes, for example our main access routes to hospitals, north and south of the A12 will be effected.
LionLink is a purely commercial venture to enable a private company (NGV) to trade electricity with Europe. In fact by their own admission they plan to export as much energy as they import! They just want to profit from the project.
East Suffolk Council position
ESC maintains its objection to the proposed LionLink project.
“The East Suffolk district and its highly designated coastline with numerous tourist-economy-focussed holiday destinations is facing a successive barrage of multiple Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), with each subsequent project proposed adding to the impacts of the last. The concentration of these large- scale projects has the potential to create significant detrimental cumulative impacts on both the environment and local communities, and it is already evident that public perception of the district is changing, which is being felt by the local economy, possibly for many years to come, if not permanently.
“ESC is supportive of government policy on the transition to renewable energy and the requirement to
maintain security of supply. We recognise the need for transformative development to meet governmental
ambitions for Net Zero in line with our legally binding targets and supporting energy security and CO2
reduction focused legislation, policy and guidance. However, the concentration of large infrastructure
projects within East Suffolk’s tranquil rural landscape presents particular challenges and raises significant
concerns for East Suffolk council and its local communities.”
OPINION: September 2026 While we fight the destructive Sea Link project, National Grid executives are taking home record payouts funded directly by our rising electricity bills. Outgoing CEO John Pettigrew’s annual pay package is an astronomical £6.1m to £6.5m, boosted by a performance bonus cap that was quietly doubled. Even NESO boss Fintan Slye raked in over £930,000 this year, including a massive legacy retention bonus from National Grid.
Meanwhile, Sea Link’s budget has ballooned from an original estimate of £1.1 billion to a staggering £3.2 billion.
Ofgem reveals that National Grid hasn’t even proven the project can legally operate at full capacity. The regulator highlighted an unresolved technical “harmonics” power-quality issue, warning that the currently proposed measures don’t fix the problem. Solving this will require unbudgeted network modifications elsewhere, threatening to push the multibillion-pound cost even higher.
National Grid claims this massive subsea cable is necessary, but independent engineering shows we can solve the same energy capacity issues for just £200m to £300m simply by upgrading existing pylon corridors. Under the current flawed system, National Grid makes more profit the more money it spends. They are incentivised to choose the most expensive, destructive option to reward their shareholders and executives, while forcing everyday consumers to pick up the multi-billion-pound tab.