A major infrastructure project has been rerouted after an outcry from fans of the Harry Potter film series. The £430m Greenlink interconnector, an undersea power cable designed to link the National Grid with Ireland, was forced to change its path to avoid a site on Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales, which is widely recognized by fans as the grave of the fictional house-elf Dobby.
Simon Ludlam, the project manager, revealed on the Energy Revolution podcast that the original plan for the 125-mile, or 200km, cable to County Wexford involved running the line through the beach area. The issue gained significant attention after Ludlam participated in a BBC interview where he identified the planned route. Following the broadcast, the company was flooded with hundreds of calls from concerned fans.
Ludlam admitted he was initially unaware of the cultural significance of the site, having no prior knowledge of the character. He recounted a conversation with a colleague who explained that the company was planning to build directly through Dobby’s grave. Ludlam recalled his confusion, questioning how a project could be impacted by a fictitious character from a book, only to be told by his colleague that the matter was considered very serious by the public.
The beach itself is an ecologically sensitive site managed by the National Trust, which has previously requested that visitors refrain from leaving memorial stones marked “Here Lies Dobby” at the location. Despite these requests, the site remains a popular destination for fans.
In response to the public pressure, the firm enlisted planners to secure a new route for the cable. Ludlam confirmed that the project is now moving forward on the adjusted path, noting that while the new route passes near some genuine Bronze Age human burial remains, it successfully avoids the area designated as Dobby’s grave. He added that the change in plans satisfied the public, joking that “Dobby’s happy.”
