Hundreds of Harry Potter fans have successfully pressured an energy company to reroute a $581 million power cable project after discovering that the planned route would pass near Dobby’s grave in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
The Greenlink interconnector, designed to connect Britain and Ireland and facilitate the sharing of surplus renewable energy, was originally planned to pass through the site where Dobby’s death scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1) was filmed.
The location has since become a popular pilgrimage site, attracting fans who leave stones bearing messages in memory of the fictional house elf. Environmental authorities have previously asked visitors to stop leaving socks at the site because they posed a hazard to wildlife.
Project manager Simon Ludlam said his team received “hundreds of calls” from concerned fans following a media report about the planned cable route. After discussions, the company agreed to alter the route to avoid the memorial.
The revised route, however, will pass close to a potential Bronze Age burial site. Local planning documents indicate that archaeological excavations uncovered part of a pottery vessel believed to date to around 1700–1500 BC and potentially associated with human burial.
Local residents have welcomed the decision, saying Dobby’s grave has become a major tourist attraction. Pembrokeshire County Council estimates tourism contributes around $815 million to the local economy and supports nearly 23 per cent of local employment.
