Row over ‘seedy’ Aquind interconnector ramps up

The energy minister has revealed that she cannot be involved in the decision on a new electricity interconnector with France, which has been branded a “seedy enterprise” by Labour, because one of its backers has given money to her local Conservative party.

Plans to build the Aquind interconnector, which is designed to run from the south coast of England to Normandy, came under the spotlight during the House of Commons question time for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) department ministers yesterday.

A public inquiry into the project, a 2GW capacity subsea and underground High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) electric power transmission link between the French and UK grids, concluded on 8 March 2021.

Aquind’s backers claim it will transmit 16TWh of electricity each year between the two countries per annum, equivalent to five per cent of the UK’s overall electricity demand.

Under the government’s rules for major infrastructure projects, the application for Aquind is being handled by the Planning Inspectorate and the final decision will be taken by the secretary of state for BEIS.

However, energy minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan revealed yesterday (6 June) in the Commons that she could not participate in any matters to do with the project because her local constituency party in Northumberland has received a donation from one of the company’s owners.

Alexander Termeko, an ex-head of Russian oil company Yukos who describes himself as a “prominent member” of the Conservative Party on his personal website, has been a director of Aquind since 2016, according to Companies House.

Alok Sharma also stepped aside from the Aquind decision, when he was secretary of state for business and energy, after it emerged that he had sat with Termeko at a Conservative fund-raising dinner.

Shadow energy minister Alan Whitehead told the Commons that Aquind has given “huge” donations, totalling £1.1 million, to the Conservative party and “a number of its MPs”.

He also raised concerns that the project is “completely reliant” on loans from “unnamed overseas companies” and that its backers have sought exemptions from the rules governing interconnectors.

He said: “This whole thing stinks. I ask ministers to call a halt to this seedy enterprise and certainly not endorse its wild and inappropriate planning proposals.”

Stephen Morgan, Labour MP for Portsmouth South, said he had “serious concerns” about the “murky financing” of the project.

Catherine West, Labour’s shadow minister for Europe, asked BEIS ministers whether a national security assessment has been carried out of the Aquind project and its data implications.

Junior business minister Amanda Solloway said that Kwasi Kwarteng, secretary of state for BEIS, has until 8 September to take the decision on whether or not to grant development consent for Aquind.