A High Court ruling has quashed a decision in January 2022 by then Secretary of State for Business (BEIS) Kwasi Kwarteng MP to refuse development consent for an electricity interconnector with France planned by Aquind.
The Planning Inspectorate’s report recommended that consent be granted for the £1.35 billion project but the Secretary of State refused consent for the 2GW connection which would run from Portsmouth.
Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan and Portsmouth North MP Penny Mordaunt.
Both opposed the project and Morgan said the court’s decision “will be a bitter blow to Portsmouth people”.
Aquind said it had attracted significant funds to finance pre-construction stage of the project, which is near completion and it is ready to complete the tender process and proceed to the initial phase of the construction when development consent is granted.