Latest update
Following the submission of our application for development consent in April 2025, future updates about the Examination of our submitted plans will be available on the Planning Inspectorate's website.
As a result of further technical and survey work, along with continued engagement with stakeholders, we have identified a series of small changes we propose to make to our plans. Despite these proposed amendments, the majority of our plans for Sea Link remain unchanged. In October 2025, we wrote to relevant stakeholder and residents living near to the changes we are proposing. Further details of these changes can be found in our Document Library.
Notice of Upcoming Hearings
The next set of Examination Hearings for Sea Link's application for development consent will be held between Tuesday 27 and Friday 30 January 2026.
To see the full hearings notice for more details, please see here.
Hearing dates and locations
| Date/Time | Hearing | Location |
Tuesday 27 January 2026 Virtual registration process begins at: 09:30 Registration and seating at venue open from: 09:30 Hearing starts: 10:00 | Compulsory Acquisition Hearing 1 (CAH1)
| South Gallery Rooms 20-22, Excel London, 1 Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London, E16 1XL and virtually by Microsoft Teams or at one of the satellite venues at: Suffolk: Deben Suite, Ufford Park, Yarmouth Road, Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 1QW Kent: Raleigh Suite, Discovery Park Gateway Building, Innovation Way, Sandwich, Kent, CT13 9FF |
Wednesday 28 January 2026 Virtual registration process begins at: 09:30 Registration and seating at venue open from: 09:30 Hearing starts: 10:00 | Issue Specific Hearing 2 (ISH2)
| South Gallery Rooms 20-22, Excel London, 1 Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London, E16 1XL and virtually by Microsoft Teams or at one of the satellite venues at: Suffolk: Deben Suite, Ufford Park, Yarmouth Road, Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 1QW Kent: Raleigh Suite, Discovery Park Gateway Building, Innovation Way, Sandwich, Kent, CT13 9FF |
Thursday 29 January 2026 Virtual registration process begins at: 09:30 Registration and seating at venue open from: 09:30 Hearing starts: 10:00 | Continuation of Issue Specific Hearing 2 (ISH2)
| |
Friday 30 January 2026 Virtual registration process begins at: 09:30 Registration and seating at venue open from: 09:30 Hearing starts: 10:00 | Continuation of Issue Specific Hearing 2 (ISH2)
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Both the compulsory acquisition hearing and issue specific hearing will be "blended hearings", which means that interested persons have the option to attend and participate in person or virtually through Microsoft Teams.
Those wishing to participate virtually or in person will need to register in advance with the Planning Inspectorate. If you wish to attend in person and observe you will still need to register in advance with the Planning Inspectorate. A virtual option to observe will also be available through the Planning Inspectorate website for members of the public.
Satellite venues local to the proposed project will also be available to allow interested parties to participate or observe the hearings if they are not able to attend in person or join virtually from home. The addresses for each venue are as follows:
Suffolk: Deben Suite, Ufford Park, Yarmouth Road, Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 1QW | Kent: Raleigh Suite, Discovery Park Gateway Building, Innovation Way, Sandwich, Kent, CT13 9FF |
Those wishing to participate through the satellite venues will need to register in advance with the Planning Inspectorate.
To find out more about the hearings and to sign up to attend in person or virtually at any location, please see the dedicated Sea Link page of the Planning Inspectorate's website here.
About Sea Link
As the demand for energy increases, the project is designed to deliver renewable and low carbon energy efficiently to homes and businesses across the regions and beyond.
The cable would be predominantly offshore, with new onshore infrastructure to bring the power from the subsea cables into and out of the electricity network in both Kent and Suffolk.
To bring the power from the subsea cables into and out of the electricity network, we would need to build new onshore infrastructure including converter stations, substations and new underground and overhead electricity lines, as well as upgrading existing overhead electricity lines.
Power will be able to flow along the Sea Link cables in either direction, depending on where renewable energy is being generated at that time and where in the country power is needed.
National Grid does not yet have permission to build Sea Link. A decision on the development consent order application is expected to be made by mid-2026. More information on the application and next steps is available on the FAQs section of our website.
Why we need to build Sea Link
The existing electricity network in both Kent and Suffolk needs upgrading. This is because the UK’s electricity grid was originally built in the 1960s to connect electricity generated in power stations from fossil fuels, such as coal, from the North and Midlands of England and South Wales.
As the UK moves away from fossil fuels and increases clean energy generation, which is largely offshore, we need to connect electricity in new places.
Demand for electricity is also expected to increase by 50% by 2035, and double by 2050, as we decarbonise the energy that’s used for things like heating and transport.
Therefore, significant new infrastructure is needed to connect this clean energy from where it’s now generated to homes and businesses.
The project programme
2022 - 2024
Pre-application public consultations
March 2025
Submission of application for development consent
2025 - 2026
Examination of application for development consent
Late 2026
Decision expected on application
2026-2031
Construction works (if the project is approved)
Contact the team
If you have any questions or comments about Sea Link, please get in touch by emailing [email protected], by calling 0808 134 9569 or by writing to Freepost SEA LINK.
Sea Link is just one of several electricity network reinforcements that are needed to ensure the electricity transmission network is fit for the future. To read more about he Great Grid Upgrade, please click below.
The Great Grid Upgrade
What's energy resilience got to do with movie marathons? Find out how – and why – we’re connecting more clean energy to power the things you love.