The Aquind interconnector between Hampshire and Normandy was announced in 2016. The 150-mile-long planned cable will have a capacity of 2 gigawatts and add vital cross-border energy potential to both the French and British power markets.

Aquind would be the latest in a growing list of UK interconnectors, which includes the 1GW BritNed Dutch link, the 3GW of French cable capacity, the 1GW Belgian Nemo link, 1.4GW provided by the North Sea Link with Norway and 1.4GW under construction that will tie the UK to Denmark.

More capacity means more customers for clean energy production, less risk of energy supply disruption and extra support for grid managers. Interconnectors require a lot of investment but can also trigger further cash injections in other parts of the energy chain.

But Aquind has turned into something of a problem child. Local authorities have lodged complaints against the project, citing alleged disruption to businesses, and planning permission has been refused.

The UK government...