Harry Potter Fans Force Rerouting of UK-Ireland Power Cable to Protect 'Dobby's Grave'

A £430m power link between the UK and Ireland has been rerouted after Harry Potter fans protested that the original path would disturb a memorial to Dobby the House Elf. The Greenlink interconnector, a 125-mile cable connecting County Wexford in Ireland to Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales, was initially planned to run directly through the tribute site, which marks the location where Dobby's death was filmed in the Harry Potter films. Project manager Simon Ludlam, founder of Etchea Energy, revealed on the Energy Revolution podcast that after a BBC News interview aired, his firm received hundreds of calls from fans objecting to the route. Ludlam, initially unfamiliar with the character, said he was told by a colleague that the cable would go straight through Dobby's grave, and after realizing the seriousness, he worked with planners to reroute the cable away from the site. The diversion also avoided close proximity to Bronze Age remains, which were documented in Pembrokeshire council planning documents as including an inverted pottery vessel, possibly a collared urn from circa 1700-1500BC, associated with human burial. This is not the first time the memorial has been preserved; in 2022, the National Trust allowed it to remain after a consultation but asked visitors not to leave souvenirs, particularly socks, due to the beach's environmental sensitivity. The project is now proceeding with the new route, and Ludlam noted that fans are happy with the outcome.