Portsmouth City Council is formally opposing plans to build a £1.2bn electricity interconnector between Portsmouth and Normandy in France.

The council has been named by the High Court of Justice as an interested party in the judicial review of the controversial power-cable plans.

Submitted by Aquind Ltd, the plans propose joining the British and French electric power grids. The company argues that doing so would make energy markets more efficient and improve the security of supply.

Portsmouth City Council is opposed to the project and argues that laying the required cables through the city is impractical and would cause significant disruption to residents.

The planning application of the AQUIND Interconnector project was refused on 20 January 2022 by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

AQUIND requested permission to bring a judicial review of the decision in March, which has subsequently been granted. Portsmouth City Council has been confirmed by the High Court of Justice to be conjoined as an interested party.

A statement from the council said: ‘Portsmouth City Council remain strongly opposed to the AQUIND Interconnector project and the proposal to lay cables through areas in the east of the city. The council believes the suggested route was impractical and would cause significant disruption to residents.

‘The council's legal and planning teams are preparing to review AQUIND's witness statements when they are received and will liaise with the Secretary of State's legal team to contest the claim for judicial review.'