Fans of the Harry Potter saga have succeeded in relocating a new high-voltage cable — a multimillion-pound investment — that connects the United Kingdom with Ireland, after claiming it would desecrate the “grave” of Dobby, a fictional elf who is part of the magical universe created by writer J. K. Rowling. According to British media such as The Guardian and the BBC, the Greenlink interconnector is valued at 430 million pounds sterling (around 503 million euros), in a project that will link the national power grid with Ireland. The planning initially considered that it would pass through the area where the imaginary grave is located, said the project director, Simon Ludlam, on the Energy Revolution podcast.
In the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Part 1, the character is buried on Freshwater West beach, in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Since then, fans have been coming to leave stones at the site, alongside the inscription “Here lies Dobby,” although the landowner, the National Trust, has requested that they do not do so because the beach is ecologically sensitive.
It was through an interview given by Ludlam to the BBC that fans learned of the initial route of the installation, which extends over 200 kilometers. Ludlam explained that the cable going to County Wexford would pass underground at Freshwater West. “We did the recording, finished, went back to London and they aired it a couple of weeks later. And we received hundreds of calls, I mean, hundreds of calls,” said the executive.
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When the calls started, he explained, he had no idea who Dobby was, so he was confused. Then, a colleague told him: “Apparently, we are going to pass directly over Dobby’s grave.” He replied: “Dobby, who is Dobby? He is a fictional character in a fictional book, everything is fictional, what are you talking about?” But his colleague was firm: “No, it’s very, very serious.”
Under pressure, the company decided to hire planners to find a new route that would avoid the character’s grave. “Many people were very happy. The project goes ahead and Dobby is happy,” celebrated Ludlam, adding: “We came quite close to some authentic Bronze Age remains, but we avoided Dobby’s grave.”
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