3 weeks ago
Dobby fans help divert £430m UK-Ireland power link
There is a pretend elf in the Harry Potter stories named Dobby.
In one movie, Dobby dies on a beach in Wales called Freshwater West.
Fans of Harry Potter made a little memorial there with stones and messages.
Some people wanted to build a very long electric cable under the ground to carry power between the UK and Ireland.
At first, the cable was going to be placed right where the memorial to Dobby is.
Fans found out and called the people in charge again and again.
So the planners moved the cable to a different path so it would not go near Dobby's grave.
The man in charge said he did not know who Dobby was at first.
Many fans were happy that the cable was moved.
Workers also had to be careful near very old ancient remains found under the ground.
Harry Potter fans prompted the rerouting of the £430m Greenlink interconnector away from Dobby's grave at Freshwater West in Pembrokeshire.
The 125-mile underground power cable links the UK National Grid with Ireland between County Wexford and Freshwater West.
Project manager Simon Ludlam said Etchea Energy received "hundreds of calls" from fans after a BBC News interview revealed the planned route.
Bronze Age remains, including a collared urn circa 1700-1500BC, were also found near the cable route and referenced in planning documents.
The National Trust agreed in 2022 that the mock grave could remain, but asked visitors not to leave socks or other souvenirs at the environmentally sensitive beach.
- Who
- Harry Potter fans, project manager Simon Ludlam of Etchea Energy, and the National Trust
- What
- The £430m Greenlink power interconnector was rerouted away from Dobby's grave at Freshwater West after fan concern
- Where
- Freshwater West, Pembrokeshire, Wales; the cable runs between County Wexford, Ireland and the UK
- When
- The exact timing is not stated; the grave was previously allowed to remain in 2022
- Why
- Construction of the cable would have passed through the area of Dobby's grave, prompting concerns from fans
Fans' View
Project & Conservation View
Protecting Dobby's Memorial
Fans' View
Harry Potter fans consider the grave an important tribute and wanted the power cable rerouted away from it, with visitors leaving pebbles and socks as tributes.
Project & Conservation View
The project rerouted the cable after "hundreds of calls," while the National Trust asks visitors not to leave socks or souvenirs because Freshwater West is environmentally sensitive.
Key facts
- Project
- Greenlink interconnector
- Cost
- £430m
- Cable length
- 125 miles
- Route
- County Wexford (Ireland) to Freshwater West (UK)
- Project manager
- Simon Ludlam, Etchea Energy
- Fan response
- "Hundreds of calls" to the company
- Dobby's grave status
- Allowed to remain since 2022, per National Trust
- Archaeological find
- Bronze Age collared urn circa 1700-1500BC
Quotes
Simon Ludlam
Project manager and founder of Etchea Energy
“"We did the shot, we finished I went back to London, and they then aired it a couple of weeks later. And we got hundreds of calls, I mean hundreds of calls."”
easterneye.biz
“"A lot of people were very happy about that, and the project is now going [ahead] and Dobby's happy."”
easterneye.biz
Sources
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