Positive
Project advancing - milestone achieved
High Impact
Major milestone or critical setback
In December 2017, the UK Marine Management Organisation (MMO) granted FAB Link Limited the Marine Licence under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 authorising construction and operation of the offshore HVDC cable corridor between the GB landfall at Budleigh Salterton and the cross-Channel route to France. For this legacy UK-France interconnector — which progressed under the distributed-permit route rather than the Planning Act 2008 DCO regime — the MMO Marine Licence is the project-wide consent because it authorises the subsea cable, the project's primary asset. The UK consent stack is completed by the East Devon District Council planning permission for the converter station near Exeter, the CLOPUD confirming the onshore cable works are permitted development, and the Ofgem Interconnector Licence granted in March 2014. Outstanding commercial steps (FID, French regulatory finalisation) remain pre-construction blockers.