The UK’s Sea Link project received development consent October 30, according to the Planning Inspectorate. The decision moves the proposal beyond examination, but does not establish that its infrastructure has been built or begun operating.

The project includes a converter station within five kilometres of the proposed Friston substation, connected to it through underground high-voltage alternating-current cables. National Grid Electricity Transmission submitted the application in March 2025; it was accepted for examination the following month.

The examination provided opportunities for local communities, statutory consultees and other interested parties to present evidence. The examining authority sent its recommendations to the Secretary of State on July 30, 2026, before the subsequent consent decision.

The Planning Inspectorate says the decision, recommendation and supporting evidence are publicly available through the infrastructure-planning record. Those documents set out the basis for consent. Approval is a regulatory milestone and should be read separately from construction schedules, commissioning and any eventual operational results.