{
  "id": 561037,
  "title": "$580 million undersea cable rerouted to avoid the grave of Dobby the House Elf — company caves to fan demands to safeguard Harry Potter filming location, will instead pass by Bronze Age burial site",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/11/580-million-undersea-cable-rerouted-to-avoid-the-grave-of-dobby-the",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-11T11:47:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Tom's Hardware",
    "slug": "tom-s-hardware",
    "url": "https://www.tomshardware.com/networking/usd580-million-undersea-cable-rerouted-to-avoid-the-grave-of-dobby-the-house-elf-company-caves-to-fan-demands-to-safeguard-harry-potter-filming-location-will-instead-pass-by-bronze-age-burial-site"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Greenlink Connector, a $580 million undersea power cable connecting Ireland to Wales, was rerouted after a significant backlash from Harry Potter fans. The cable was originally planned to pass through Freshwater West, an area that is also the filming location of Dobby's grave from the Harry Potter film series. Project manager Simon Ludlam was unaware of this fact when he spoke with BBC, admitting he had never heard of Dobby. The controversy escalated when BBC aired a clip of Ludlam expressing his confusion about Dobby, until his colleague explained the significance of the burial site. The company behind the project caved to fan demands and rerouted the cable, opting instead to pass through an area near Bronze Age remains and urns, which are associated with human burial. Despite the land being owned by the National Trust and previously warned against pilgrims leaving stones marked with \"Here lies Dobby, a free elf\", the fans' passion prevented the cable from going through the area.",
  "summary": "The Greenlink Connector project, which will connect the grid of Ireland and Wales, had to reroute its path after Harry Potter fans complained that it would 'desecrate' the 'grave' of beloved character Dobby. The change of plans brought the undersea cable close to a few Bronze Age remains but allowed it to move forward without disturbing the free elf's \"resting place.\"",
  "key_points": [
    "$580 million undersea cable rerouted",
    "To avoid Dobby's grave filming location",
    "Passes through Bronze Age burial site"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The rerouting of the Greenlink Connector undersea cable to avoid Dobby's grave gives precedence to fan sentiment and preservation of a film location over the original project plan.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}