AQUIND INTERCONNECTOR Applicant’S Response to Written Questions Exq1

AQUIND Limited AQUIND INTERCONNECTOR Applicant’s Response to Written Questions ExQ1 The Infrastructure Planning (Examination Procedure) Rules 2010, Rule 8(1)(b) The Planning Act 2008 Document Ref: 7.4.1 PINS Ref.: EN020022 AQUIND Limited AQUIND Limited AQUIND INTERCONNECTOR Applicant’s Response to Written Questions ExQ1 PINS REF.: EN020022 DOCUMENT: 7.4.1 DATE: 6 OCTOBER 2020 WSP WSP House 70 Chancery Lane London WC2A 1AF +44 20 7314 5000 www.wsp.com AQUIND Limited DOCUMENT Document Applicant’s Response to Written Questions ExQ1 Revision 001 Document Owner WSP UK Limited Prepared By Various Date October 2020 Approved By A. Hallam Date October 2020 AQUIND INTERCONNECTOR PINS Ref.: EN020022 Document Ref.: Applicant’s Response to Written Questions ExQ1 October 2020 AQUIND Limited CONTENTS 1. RESPONSES TO FIRST WRITTEN QUESTIONS 1-1 1.1. INTRODUCTION 1-1 TABLES Table 1.1 – Applicant’s Responses to First Written Questions – Miscellaneous and General 1-2 Table 1.2 – Applicant’s Responses to First Written Questions – Air Quality 1-16 Table 1.3 – Applicant’s Responses to First Written Questions – Compulsory Acquisition 1-24 Table 1.4 – Applicant’s Responses to First Written Questions – Cultural Heritage 1-74 Table 1.5 – Applicant’s Responses to First Written Questions – Draft Development Consent Order 1-78 Table 1.6 – Applicant’s Responses to First Written Questions – Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Statement 1-102 Table 1.7 – Applicant’s Responses to First Written Questions – Flood Risk 1-112 Table 1.8 – Applicant’s Responses to First Written Questions – Habitats and Ecology (Onshore) 1-116 Table 1.9 – Applicant’s Responses to First Written Questions – Landscape and Visual Amenity 1-123 Table 1.10 – Applicant’s Responses to First Written Questions – Marine Environment 1-143 Table 1.11 – Applicant’s Responses to First Written Questions – Noise 1-158 Table 1.12 – Applicant’s Responses to First Written Questions – Onshore Water Environment 1-168 Table 1.13 - Applicant’s Responses to First Written Questions – Planning Policy 1-175 Table 1.14 – Applicant’s Responses to First Written Questions – Shipping and Navigation 1-178 Table 1.15 – Applicant’s Responses to First Written Questions – Socio-Economic Effects 1-181 AQUIND INTERCONNECTOR PINS Ref.: EN020022 Document Ref.: Applicant’s Response to Written Questions ExQ1 October 2020 AQUIND Limited Table 1.16 – Applicant’s Responses to First Written Questions – Traffic and Transport 1-190 Table 1.17 - Applicant’s Responses to First Written Questions – Trees 1-205 AQUIND INTERCONNECTOR PINS Ref.: EN020022 Document Ref.: Applicant’s Response to Written Questions ExQ1 October 2020 AQUIND Limited 1. RESPONSES TO FIRST WRITTEN QUESTIONS 1.1. INTRODUCTION This document is submitted on behalf of AQUIND Limited (the 'Applicant') in relation to an application (the 'Application') for a Development Consent Order (‘DCO’) to authorise the elements of AQUIND Interconnector (the ‘Project’) within England and the waters adjacent to England up to seaward limits of the territorial sea (the ‘Proposed Development’) The Application submitted to the Secretary of State (‘SoS’) for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (‘BEIS’) pursuant to Section 37 of The Planning Act 2008 (as amended) (the ‘PA 2008’) on 14 November 2019. The Application was accepted for examination by the Planning Inspectorate (‘PINS’) on behalf of the Secretary of State on 12 December 2019. This document provides responses from the Applicant to the Examining Authority’s first written questions. AQUIND INTERCONNECTOR WSP PINS Ref.: EN020022 Document Ref.: Applicant’s Response to Written Questions ExQ1 October 2020 AQUIND Limited Page 1-1 Table 1.1 – Applicant’s Responses to First Written Questions – Miscellaneous and General Reference Respondent(s) Question Response MG1.1.1 The Applicant What was the rationale The rationale and justification for confining the siting search area to 2km is the result of a number of factors including the following: and justification for The AC (alternating current) connection between the Lovedean substation and the proposed converter station will be by confining the siting underground cables. AC cables generate a phenomenon known as Reactive Power1, the level of which would increase linearly search for the converter with the length of the underground cable. This unwanted reactive power would need to be compensated for in the design of the AC station to 2km from the to DC (direct current) converter equipment, increasing its size, impacting on the footprint of the station and equipment costs. existing Lovedean substation? (Planning The use of longer AC cables between Lovedean substation and the proposed converter station also introduces the risk of harmonic Statement [APP-108] resonances2, which could severely disrupt the operation of the converter station and impact on the quality of the power delivered to refers.) consumers. Installing harmonic filter equipment at the converter station to counteract such effects would have added to the footprint and cost of the converter station. A typical harmonic filter has a footprint of 30m x 30m, with equipment about 10 – 12m in height. Compared with HVDC (high voltage direct current) cables, HVAC (high voltage alternating current) cables generate additional power losses in the insulation material (“dielectric losses”) and the metallic sheath (“sheath losses”), so the length of the AC cables should be minimised. Because AC circuits are 3-phase, and because of the additional power losses, 3-off cables with larger conductors would be required to transmit the same power as 2-off DC cables. The power losses in AC cables are about 75% higher than for DC cables, estimated to be 89kW/km for AC cables and 51kW/km for DC cables. From a construction perspective, the Converter Station will require seven Abnormal Indivisible Loads (AIL) deliveries, i.e. the interface transformers. Each unit will weigh around 300 tonnes and will require a multi-axle transporter of around 60m in length. As similar AILs were installed in the National Grid Lovedean substation, it was known that the transportation of such AILs to the new station would be possible where the new station was close to Lovedean. Had a remote location been chosen the transport difficulties and disruption to local communities could have been much greater. The capital cost of long AC cables and the loss of power in the cables, in addition to reducing the extent of land to be affected by the wider AC Cable trenches and permanent easement, were compelling factors in minimising their length. MG1.1.2 The Applicant The application The siting of the Converter Station is subject to ongoing discussion with a number of landowners. The status of negotiations with documents report that the respective parties is provided in the updated Statement of Reasons (APP-022 Rev-002). The Applicant is confident the the siting of Converter negotiations with each of the parties can be concluded in advance of the end of the Examination. Station is subject to The optionality between Converter Station location options B(i) and B(ii) is dependent on securing the agreement of National Grid ongoing discussions. Is to use Plot 1-27 for the siting of part of the Converter Station to facilitate Option B(ii) without detriment to National Grid’s operations there any progress and at the Lovedean substation. The Applicant is confident Heads of Terms will be agreed with National Grid in the near future and an when can the ExA Option Agreement for the necessary rights will be agreed between the parties before the end of the Examination. expect a conclusion for the purposes of the EIA and any DCO? Where the optionality between B(i) and B(ii) remains within the Application, we would expect the ExA to make a recommendation If the optionality based on either option being used, taking into account the impacts of each, on the basis that this is what has been assessed and between B(i) and B(ii) applied for. was not concluded prior 1 Reactive power is caused by electromagnetic effects in AC equipment, such as cables. It does no useful work (heat, light, etc.) but requires extra “effort” from the AC network, increasing the rating of all equipment. 2 The AC network works at a frequency of 50 Hz (cycles/second), but the AC cable can excite resonance conditions at frequencies which are a multiple of 50Hz (100Hz, 150Hz, etc.) which can result in poor quality of the power to consumers on the AC network. The longer the AC cables the more impacts there may be from harmonic resonance effects. AQUIND INTERCONNECTOR WSP PINS Ref.: EN020022 Document Ref.: Applicant’s Response to Written Questions ExQ1 October 2020 AQUIND Limited Page 1-2 Reference Respondent(s) Question Response to the end of the Examination, would you expect the ExA to make a recommendation based on the worst-case in respect of each environmental factor associated with the two options (paragraph 3.6.3.32 of the ES [APP- 118] refers)? MG1.1.3 The Applicant Explain the design The Applicant has produced a separate Position Statement submitted alongside these responses in relation to the National Design approach and design Guide and Optical Regeneration Stations, Appendix 1 to this document (document reference 7.4.1.1 ) which sets out how the credentials of the Converter Station seeks to address or exceed the expectations of good design set out in the National Design Guide and the Converter Station objectives in section 4.5 of NPS EN-1. buildings and structures. Reference should be made to the objectives in section 4.5 of NPS EN-1 and how the proposed development seeks to address or exceed the expectations of good design set out in the National Design Guide. MG1.1.4 The Applicant Explain the design The Applicant has produced a separate Position Statement submitted alongside these responses in relation to the National Design approach and design Guide and Optical Regeneration Stations, Appendix 2 to this document (document reference 7.4.1.2 ) which sets out how the ORS credentials of the seek to address or exceed the expectations of good design set out in the National Design Guide and the objectives in section 4.5 Optical Regeneration of NPS EN-1.

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