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LionLink Interconnector - Archaeological Trenching Services

Our client, National Grid, and Dutch transmission system operator TenneT are co-developing the LionLink interconnector, which will connect the UK electricity grid to the Dutch grid through an offshore windfarm. The proposed high-voltage direct current (HVDC) interconnector will use subsea cables to move clean electricity between the UK and the Netherlands through a novel offshore hybrid asset (OHA) design. Rather than interconnectors and offshore wind power connecting separately to shore, OHAs allow clusters to connect in one go, reducing the amount of infrastructure required.

To get a better idea of what archaeology and mitigation efforts might be needed at the selected location for a converter station in Suffolk, National Grid reached out to our team to help. The ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½/Oxford Archaeology technical partnership carried out an archaeological trial trench evaluation where power would be connected to shore. ²ÝÝ®´«Ã½ provided management and general oversight of the archaeological works and health and safety, as well as technical assurance for the trenching and reports.

Our team carefully targeted possible archaeological features and blank areas identified during a geophysical survey with our trenching efforts. We found evidence of two enclosures, potentially of medieval date, small pits containing flints, and other features hinting at prehistoric activity on the site. Trenching was completed to the satisfaction of the Suffolk County Council Archaeologist, backfilled, and handed back to the landowner. The information gathered through this process will accompany the development consent order (DCO) application and help determine mitigation requirements as the project moves forward.

LionLink would offer a vital step toward an integrated grid that harnesses the huge potential of North Sea wind, moving clean energy between the UK and the Netherlands.