Public consultation has begun over plans to place an underwater electricity cable between Pembrokeshire and Ireland.

The consultation follows submission by Greenlink Interconnector Limited of a Marine Licence application.

This is for the offshore aspect of the project which would see a cable built under the sea.

Stakeholders are being encouraged to provide comments on the application via Natural Resources Wales before January 8, 2020.

The proposed Greenlink interconnector will connect the electricity grids of Great Britain and Ireland.

The company says the development one of Europe’s most important energy infrastructure projects and brings benefits on both sides of the Irish Sea for energy security, jobs and the cost-effective integration of low carbon energy.

In Pembrokeshire, the interconnector comprises a subsea cable intended to come ashore under the beach and dunes at Freshwater West and continuing underground to a converter station located near to the existing Pembroke substation.

Tom Brinicombe, Planning and Permitting Manager for Greenlink, commented: “We continue to encourage input from local residents and other stakeholders as we move the project forward and so would encourage people to take part in the consultation being run by Natural Resources Wales.

“I would also like to reiterate that the Marine Licence Application does not include any requirement for construction work on the beach or in the dunes at Freshwater West where the interconnector cables come ashore.”

The project is expected to have a three-year construction programme, offering local supply chain opportunities, before commissioning in 2023.

You can comment on the project here.