A government minister has said that a £1.2 billion project to connect the British and French power grids must not go ahead. Before a decision on whether to approve the scheme this week, Penny Mordaunt, a trade minister and former defence secretary, came out against it. Aquind, the company behind the project, plans to lay a power and communications cable under the Channel. Mordaunt said that this would make Britain more reliant on France, which has threatened to interrupt supplies in disputes over fishing. “The French have already said they will turn off the power, they will use future energy supply as a bargaining chip,” she said. “That doesn’t help our energy security.” Kwasi Kwarteng, the business secretary, has delayed a decision on the interconnector project several times but must make up his mind by January 21.
Times 18th Jan 2022 read more »