Aquind: Protest held over cross-Channel cable plan

Protestors said the interconnector would bring disruption and environmental damage

More than 200 people have attended a rally in protest against a proposed £1.2bn cross-Channel electricity link.

Next week the government is due to begin to reconsider its refusal of plans by Aquind Ltd to lay cables through Portsmouth to France.

Penny Mordaunt MP told the rally in Portsmouth that ministerial approval was "vanishingly unlikely".

However, Aquind said the 2GW interconnector was vital for the UK's electricity needs.

More than 200 people attended the protest in Portsmouth

The government's refusal of the scheme was quashed by the High Court in January, forcing ministers to review their decision.

Aquind said it was subsequently asked to reconsider the scheme's environmental impact and consider alternative cable routes.

Aquind spokesperson Johnny Stonborough said the firm had rejected a path through Dorset's Jurassic Coast and Poole Harbour.

He said: "It is much better to dig up a road, lay a cable and cover it up again with tarmac than it is to try and lay cables across bits of virgin country or animal reserves.

"This is vital infrastructure. We don't have enough electricity in the south of England. We are getting 18% from abroad at this particular moment."

However Viola Langley from the Stop Aquind campaign said work to install the cables would cause serious disruption in Portsmouth.

"We would have roads blocked off and the stress on people would be enormous," she said.

The interconnector would make landfall at Eastney beach in Portsmouth

Ms Mordaunt, Conservative MP for Portsmouth North, said protestors were also concerned by issues including environmental damage and the nature of Aquind's backers.

Speaking at the rally, she told the firm: "It is in your best interest to throw in the towel.

"Look at Portsmouth... We love a fight and we're so good at it that others rally to our cause."

Aquind is part-owned by Ukrainian-born British businessman Alexander Temerko

Aquind - which is part-owned by Russian-born Victor Fedotov - and another of his businesses have donated £700,000 to 34 Conservative MPs since the Aquind project began, the BBC Panorama programme reported in 2021.

Another director, Ukrainian-born Alexander Temerko, has donated a further £700,000 to the party.

Lawyers for Aquind and Mr Temerko previously said their donations were "entirely lawful, properly declared and have not been made in return for any special treatment".

Mr Fedotov said that he "has never had any interest in British politics and has operated in an open and transparent manner".

The Conservative Party said fundraising was a legitimate activity and did not influence political policy.