Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of whether the incident which damaged the electricity interconnector between France and the UK during Storm Angus has potential safety implications for existing and proposed interconnectors between (a) the UK and other countries and (b) Northern Ireland and Great Britain; and if he will make a statement.

National Grid and the French transmission system operator are jointly conducting a full investigation into the incident that damaged the interconnector between France and the UK during Storm Angus. Teams on both sides of the Channel are working to restore this interconnector to full availability as soon as possible.

Interconnector developers employ a variety of tools to reduce the risk of damage to the cable, including thorough sea-bed risk assessments, geotechnical analysis of the sea-bed and a review of shipping routes near the project. Where physically possible, reinforced cables are buried under the sea-bed; where the conditions do not allow for this, the cable is protected by other means, such as rock placement or concrete. Once in service, interconnector cables are regularly surveyed to ensure they remain protected.