Aquind: Company claims Portsmouth backs interconnector in poll as protestors brand it "grossly misleading"

The Aquind project would, if approved, lay electricity cables connecting Normandy to Lovedean through Portsmouth. The scheme is currently being re-determined by the planning inspectorate after its initial refusal was overturned in the High Court.

The project has attracted opposition from city MPs, members of Portsmouth City Council, and residents. Recently, a poll conducted by Savanta found that 69 per cent of survey respondents (all of whom were Portsmouth residents) supported an interconnector.

Savanta interviewed 478 Portsmouth residents using a mixture of online and computer-assisted personal interviews. Respondents were asked 12 questions, the first 10 of which revolved around the price of energy and the impact of carbon emissions, which the majority of respondents raised concerns over.

The 11th question asked whether people could tolerate disruption to local roads for a few weeks during the construction of a major project. The question prefixed the notion that the disruption “would achieve the UK’s transition to net zero”.

Some 55 per cent of respondents said they would put up with “some” disruption, 24 per cent said they would tolerate “significant” disruption, and 21 per cent said none of the above. The 12th and final question asked residents if they would support the interconnector project after stating that it would reduce electricity prices and carbon emissions. Some 69 per cent of respondents agreed while 14 per cent opposed the idea, and 17 per cent said they didn’t know.

The questions described the interconnector as being merely between “Portsmouth and Normandy”. However, if the project is approved, the cable will be installed at Eastney and then it will be laid northwards through Portsea Island towards Eastern Road. From there, it will go through Drayton, Purbrook, and Waterlooville, finally reaching a substation in Lovedean.

Ben Iorio, spokesperson for Aquind, said: “Portsmouth has spoken. Their message is a powerful, clear call to action: Build the infrastructure our country needs to power our homes and businesses, safeguard our environment, and address the issue of rising energy costs. With a new Government in charge of our country, and a highly ambitious programme of energy infrastructure construction, Aquind is ready to be part of the solution.

“We are committed to delivering the UK and Europe’s newest interconnector, which will increase our grid resilience, lower energy prices, and reduce our carbon emissions.” In response, grassroots campaign group Let’s Stop Aquind described the survey as “grossly misleading” for three reasons.

The first is that Aquind is not mentioned in the survey questions as the company’s brand is “tarnished” from concerns surrounding its ownership, political donations and, more recently, national security concerns raised by the Ministry of Defence.

The second reason criticised the question of support in the survey as it “implies that the link would terminate in Portsmouth”, avoiding any reference to the impact on the South Downs, Farlington Marshes, and anything else further inland from Portsmouth.

Lastly, the results of the local and general elections were highlighted as candidates such as Stephen Morgan, Amanda Martin, and Suella Braverman were voted in—all of whom opposed Aquind. Stephen Morgan MP presented a petition to parliament in September 2021 in which over 6,000 Portsmouth residents opposed the scheme.

After the recent change of government, Ed Miliband, the new energy secretary, will be making the final decision on the project. In 2022, the Labour MP celebrated the project’s initial refusal, congratulating Morgan and local campaigners.