Optimal placement and other measures taken to enhance public acceptance of a 380kV grid extension project from the Belgian inland to the coast

摘要

Elia has the objective to expand its 380 kV grid from the inland (near Ghent) to the coast (Zeebrugge). The length of this new 380 kV link is about 50 km and in combination with 5 new substations, including a AC/DC converter station, it is one of the largest grid expansion projects of the last decades in Belgium. It is a challenge to complete the authorisation process of such a large scale development and public acceptance is one of the key issues to success. Although connection of renewable onshore and offshore production is the main driver of the project, still strong NIMBY reactions from the public and local authorities are encountered. The grounds of these reactions are diverse but the three main issues are visual impact, property value and health concern.From the initial study phase on and throughout the authorisation process different measures were worked out in order to encounter these public concerns. The proposed grid solution includes several mitigating techniques (HTLS conductors, insulated cross-arms) in order to maximise the re-use of and the bundling with existing infrastructures. As a result only 20% of the connection needs to be constructed as a new cross country route, for this section an underground cable solution has been chosen.As a result of a detailed landscape study, additional visual integration measures all along the route have been proposed. Finally a compensation policy was developed to address the concerns about loss of property value.These different mitigating and compensating measures elaborated have demonstrated their effectiveness to enhance public expectance for this kind of large grid infrastructure projects. Nevertheless a small number of stakeholders keep their NIMBY position and jeopardise the project by legal actions.