Undersea power cable diverted after "Harry Potter" fans complain
The CEO of Etchea Energy described being inundated with calls after inadvertently planning an underground cable beneath a memorial to the fictional "Harry Potter" character.
A subsea electricity link between Ireland and the United Kingdom faced a diversion after fans of the "Harry Potter" books expressed concern over potential damage to a memorial for Dobby, the series' fictional house elf. Simon Ludlam, CEO of the project's developer Etchea Energy, revealed that the company's original plan was to lay parts of the cable through Freshwater West beach in Wales, a decision that went unnoticed when he discussed the project on BBC Wales.
Following the segment, the CEO received hundreds of calls from "Harry Potter" enthusiasts, leading to a reassessment of the route. Ludlam recalled being informed, "We're going straight through Dobby's grave," to which he responded, "Dobby? Who's Dobby?" after dismissing the character as fictional. After acknowledging the seriousness of the complaints, the company consulted with planners to reroute the cable, ultimately avoiding both Dobby's memorial and nearby Bronze Age remains.
Despite the diversion, the project proceeded, leaving both Dobby and the memorial's supporters satisfied.
Written by urgent.news from CBS News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
