National Grid working with communities to deliver secure energy future

National Grid is playing a key role in making the UK’s energy supply more secure and supporting the growth of renewable energy. LionLink is a new subsea and underground electricity cable – known as an interconnector – which will connect an offshore wind farm to the UK and the Netherlands’ electricity grids. The project will have the capacity to power 2.

5 million homes when it begins operation. The importance of a pioneering project like LionLink is that it allows us to use more renewable energy and ensures the electricity isn’t wasted or switched off. Analysis from Ofgem, the UK energy regulator, shows that the development of LionLink will save consumers nearly £300 million in its first 10 years.



Gareth Burden is the construction director for LionLink and has over 20 years’ experience at National Grid. In this time, National Grid has become the world’s largest operator of subsea power cables. National Grid operates six interconnectors linking Great Britain’s electricity network to Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Norway – each with the capacity to power millions of homes.

The experience of Gareth and the project team in building interconnectors informs the understanding of these nationally significant energy projects. “It means each project learns from the last,” Gareth explained. “However, it isn’t just from our own experiences that we identify what actions or routes to take for our projects.

“Community engagement is a vital part of the LionLink project. Since the proposal began in 2018, the project team has listened to thousands of pieces of local feedback, held information events and conducted consultations to ensure everyone’s voice is heard.” Gareth Burden, construction director for LionLink (Image: National Grid) In January 2025, it was announced that the cable will come onshore at Walberswick, a decision made with careful consideration of the environment and local residents’ concerns.

The final chosen location was the result of community feedback that informed National Grid and avoided an earlier option which could have impacted a popular area where the beach huts are located. The project will also be taking steps to ensure that there is no construction on the beach and no visible infrastructure once the project is complete. In fact, 84% of the cable will be offshore, and all onshore sections will be buried underground.

“The construction will be done in manageable sections, so there won’t be long-term disruption in any one area,” said Gareth. “That is important for minimising local community impacts.” National Grid recently held community drop-in events to update and address further concerns shared by the community.

As the LionLink project moves forward, the community will have further opportunities to engage in discussions about its future, with a new consultation to be launched later in 2025. The development of LionLink is the first step towards joining together North Sea offshore wind with the electricity grids of both the UK and the Netherlands, ensuring a flexible, reliable supply of energy. As a result, it aims to benefit the whole of the UK.

For more information, visit nationalgrid.com/lionlink This article is part of the LOCALiQ Clean & Green campaign, which aims to promote our region as the biggest in the UK and Europe for all forms of renewable energy..