Environment

French villagers bid to stop Tory donor Aquind laying cable under Channel

French mayors and residents along the Normandy coast are campaigning to block a project for a cross-Channel electricity cable backed by a Ukrainian-born businessman who has donated hundreds of thousands of pounds to the Conservative party.

Kwasi Kwarteng, Britain’s business secretary, is due to decide this week on whether to give the go-ahead to a £1.2bn project for the 148-mile cable between Normandy and Hampshire. The firm says the link, which will run through Portsmouth, could supply up to 5% of Britain’s electricity needs.

Opposition MPs have highlighted more than £1m in donations given to the Conservatives by the company, Aquind, and one of its directors, Alexander Temerko, a British industrialist born in Ukraine.

Labour says the project is “mired by cronyism”. That allegation is strongly denied by the firm, which says the scheme can play a vital role in helping to secure Britain’s energy supply.

The project faces strong opposition in Portsmouth from the council and campaigners, who say it will have a detrimental impact on the city and cause widespread disruption.

The proposal is to run the cable from the village of Lovedean in east Hampshire to Portsmouth, across the Channel to the French coast and to its end point at the small settlement of Barnabos in Normandy.

An alliance of the French mayors on or near the route has now been formed to oppose the project.

“The company is very aggressive,” said Jean-Marie Tabesse, mayor of Biville-la-Baignarde, one of the villages along the proposed route of the cable to the connecting station in Barnabos, where it will link to the French national grid. “They never take no for an answer. They never listen.”

The shoreline where the cable will make landfall is known as the alabaster coast because of its chalky white cliffs. It was a favourite place of the painter Claude Monet. The cable would reach the French coast at a car park and mini-golf course at Hautot-sur-Mer, a popular spot for tourists.

In June last year, Aquind submitted an “occupation rights” application to the mayor of Hautot-sur-Mer for construction and excavation works on the town’s seafront.

It was rejected by the mayor, Jean-Jacques Brument, who says he will never give permission. “Nothing obliges us to cede this plot to them,” Brument told a French newspaper. “They are as stubborn as fools.”

Jean Nicolas, a founder of Non à Aquind, a pressure group in the Dieppe area, said high-voltage transmission cables should not be routed through populated areas.

He said: “We don’t want a high-power electric cable near our villages, and we don’t want the disruption. It’s a crazy idea.”

Aquind made its application to the Planning Inspectorate for a development consent order in England in November 2019. The proposal was included on a list of projects of common interest by the EU in November 2017, which allows schemes to be fast-tracked. It was, however, removed from the list in October 2019.

The scheme was rejected by Pierre-André Durand, the prefect of Normandy, in January. Aquind is challenging the decision and considers that it will not stand in the way of getting the required planning consent.

Head and shoulders photograph of Temerko in a blue suit and tie
Alexander Temerko has donated more than £700,000 to the Conservatives. Photograph: Bloomberg via Getty Images
Campaigners from Let’s Stop Aquind in Portsmouth say the power cables would involve construction through and under parks, allotments and wild open spaces. Viola Langley from the campaign group, said: “This would cause absolute chaos in Portsmouth and beyond. We don’t want it here.”

Aquind is the subsidiary of a Luxembourg-based company, Aquind Energy. Company filings say the company’s “persons of significant control” are the Russian-born oil businessman Viktor Fedotov and Temerko, a prominent Conservative supporter. The UK firm has donated more than £430,000 to the party. Temerko, a director of the company, has donated more than £700,000.

Lord Callanan, the minister for business, energy and corporate responsibility, is a former director of Aquind, standing down in June 2017. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy says he will have no role in the decision over the project.

Stephen Morgan, MP for Portsmouth South, said: “Aquind would cause devastating disruption to Portsmouth, the most densely populated city after London. Roads, parks and the precious natural environment would be ripped up. Residents will face noise, dust and huge traffic problems. This national infrastructure project has been mired by cronyism.”

Aquind says all its donations to the Conservatives were properly made and have been legally declared. It does not consider the removal of the project from the European list of projects of common interest is an obstacle to securing the relevant permissions.

The company said in a statement: “The French planning process is ongoing, and the project continues to engage with all relevant parties and authorities.

Environment

NEMA warns against bush burning in Harmattan period

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has warned members of the public against bush burning during the harmattan period to avoid the destruction of property and loss of life.

DAILY POST reports that the NEMA Head of Operations, Edo Office, Ojuedene Kenoma, gave the warning at the training of officials of local governments and volunteers in Edo State on disaster prevention, response, and control measures.

Kenoma said the training was aimed at strengthening disaster preparedness, response, and recovery at the grassroots level.

He opined that disasters such as tanker accidents, fire outbreaks, or other emergencies do not wait for the opportune moment.

“It is essential that “we foster a culture of preparedness, awareness, and response across every level of society, especially at the grassroots level.”

“This workshop is a critical step toward empowering our communities with the knowledge and tools they need to respond to disasters.”

“By training and mobilising volunteers within these communities, our Director-General Zubaida Umar is building a network of emergency responders who can take swift and effective action when emergencies arise.”

“The workshop is aimed at raising public awareness, particularly around the high risks associated with tanker accidents and fire outbreaks, both of which present significant challenges in Edo State,” he said.

He further explained that NEMA is taking disaster management to the grassroots by training local government officials and volunteers at the grassroots level.

He added that the agency expects the participants to cascade the training down to the grassroots and sensitise the local population on how to prevent and respond to fire incidents.

One of the resource persons, Superintendent Asimu Sumaila, in his lecture that safety is everybody’s responsibility and that the knowledge of fire one has determines the chance of survival when it happens.

Sumaila explained that 80 per cent of fire incidents happen as a result of carelessness and negligence by individuals.

He said that in fighting fire disasters, one has to know the right solution to use, as using the wrong solution can create more problems.

He stated that the solution to extinguish ordinary fire is different from PMS (petrol) fire.

“Most people leave their houses without removing appliances from the socket or turning them off, and while burning refuse, people will not be there to control it. The embers from that fire can flow in different directions and ignite fires elsewhere,” he said.

He, however, cautioned the people against leaving their appliances on when leaving home and against bush burning, especially near residential areas, as it can destroy houses and result in loss of lives.

Environment

NiMet forecasts 3-day sunshine and dust haze

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has forecasted weather conditions featuring sunshine, dust haze, and isolated thunderstorms across the country from Monday to Wednesday.

In its weather outlook, NiMet predicted slight dust haze for the northern region on Monday, with localized visibility expected to range from 2 to 5 kilometers throughout the day.

The North Central region is expected to experience sunny skies with a hazy atmosphere, while the southern region will see sunny skies with patches of clouds. Thunderstorms and light rains are anticipated in parts of Cross River, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom states during the afternoon and evening hours.

On Tuesday, November 26, moderate dust haze is forecasted for the northern region, with localized visibility potentially dropping below 1,000 meters. Slight dust haze is expected in the North Central region, while the southern region is likely to experience sunny skies with scattered clouds. Afternoon and evening thunderstorms, accompanied by light rains, are expected in Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom states.

NiMet’s outlook for Wednesday, November 27, indicates continued moderate dust haze in the northern region, with localized visibility below 1,000 meters. The North Central region will experience slight dust haze, with visibility between 2 to 5 kilometers. The southern region is forecasted to have sunny skies with patches of clouds and potential thunderstorms with light rains in parts of Rivers, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom states.

The agency cautioned the public about suspended dust particles and advised individuals with respiratory conditions, such as asthma, to take precautions during this period.

NiMet also warned of strong winds potentially accompanying thunderstorms in some areas, urging residents to stay safe and adhere to weather advisories.

Airline operators were advised to obtain airport-specific weather reports from NiMet for effective flight planning.

Environment

KAI demolishes 138 Shanties, dislodges 169 illegal Lagos residents

The Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) popularly known as KAI on Thursday demolished 138 shanties, subsequently dislodging 169 illegal residents occupying the Ajao Estate Canal bank in the State.

This development was made known by the Corps Marshal of the Agency, Major Olaniyi Olatunbosun Cole (rtd) at the Agency’s Command Headquarters, Bolade-Oshodi.

He said, ‘‘our intelligence sources identified the humongous infractions across the Ajao Estate Canal banks stretching several metres where people were living illegally in shanties and paid rents between 60,000 to 100,000 Naira to a particular syndicate and this made us activate our enforcement teams for a total dislodgement’’.

Cole expressed dismay at the brazen level of disregard for public health and safety due to the clustered illegal encampment, citing the development as a catalyst for the spread of communicable diseases, sexual violence and social issues resulting from the accommodation of miscreants in such hidden areas.

The Corps Marshal reiterated the Agency’s commitment to upholding the THEMES+ agenda of Mr. Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu which seeks to make Lagos cleaner and habitable for business, a mandate that KAI exhausts all resources on a daily to achieve in the State.

In his final comments, the KAI top man admonished Lagosians to desist from patronising illegal public encampments as he affirmed that many infractions will be identified and demolitions will be activated in due course.