Ninth Report - Revised (Draft) National Policy Statement for Energy

Select Committee

Business and Trade Committee HC 1151 25 February 2022

Report Status Government responded

Conclusions & Recommendations 20 items (14 recs)

Source View on Parliament website

Government Response (AI assessment · 12 of 20 classified)

Accepted 5

Accepted in Part 1

Deferred 2

Not Addressed 1

Rejected 1

Recommendations

14 results

2 Accepted in Part

Para 24

As currently drafted, revised (draft) EN-1 does not provide the “step change” needed to deliver...

Recommendation

As currently drafted, revised (draft) EN-1 does not provide the “step change” needed to deliver the required scale of new NSIPs at a sufficiently rapid pace to deliver the Government’s net zero aims. This is largely due to ambiguity in … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government states that NPSs will start with a presumption in favour of granting consent to applications for energy NSIPs and draft EN-1 has been updated to introduce a new policy presumption known as a critical national priority (CNP) for offshore wind.

Department for Business and Trade

3 Accepted

Para 25

We recommend that revised (draft) EN-1 provides clearer direction in favour of the presumption of...

Recommendation

We recommend that revised (draft) EN-1 provides clearer direction in favour of the presumption of the delivery of new energy infrastructure required to deliver net zero. We recommend that revised (draft) EN-1 explicitly sets out that the NPS takes precedent … Read more

Government Response Summary

EN-1 and EN-3 are clear about the urgent need for all types of renewable electricity generation infrastructure and include government ambitions for certain types of renewable generating infrastructure. New text has been proposed in draft EN-3 setting out the Critical National Priority for offshore wind infrastructure.

Department for Business and Trade

6

Para 34

The purpose of reviewing the current NPS was to update it to bring it in...

Recommendation

The purpose of reviewing the current NPS was to update it to bring it in line with the Government’s Energy White Paper. However, since then, the Government has published a number of key policy documents which are relevant for the … Read more

Department for Business and Trade

7

Para 37

We acknowledge the Government’s view that the NPS should not be overly prescriptive to avoid...

Recommendation

We acknowledge the Government’s view that the NPS should not be overly prescriptive to avoid discouraging the development of new technologies. We recognise that the NPS should also facilitate the development of new technologies in this fast-moving sector. We therefore … Read more

Department for Business and Trade

8

Para 41

We note that the current review of the NPS for Energy is the first to...

Recommendation

We note that the current review of the NPS for Energy is the first to have taken place in 10 years. In order to properly take into account the rapid pace of technological change in the energy sector and the … Read more

Department for Business and Trade

9 Deferred

We recommend that the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy work with the Department...

Recommendation

We recommend that the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy work with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to consider the potential merits of implementing a single National Policy Statement across sectors with sub-sector statements linked to … Read more

Government Response Summary

While agreeing on the importance of onshore wind, the government confirmed local councils will remain responsible for onshore wind applications and committed to consult on proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework.

Department for Business and Trade

10 Accepted

Para 49

As noted above, we recommend that the revised (draft) NPS, both EN-1 and EN-2, be...

Recommendation

As noted above, we recommend that the revised (draft) NPS, both EN-1 and EN-2, be updated to take into account the Hydrogen Strategy.

Government Response Summary

Draft EN-1 establishes an urgent need for hydrogen and CCS infrastructure. Draft EN-4 makes clear that policies and strategies are currently being developed to assist in establishing the pipelines and infrastructures that would be required to fully support the requirements for hydrogen and CCUS. No further amendments are required to draft EN-4 at this time.

Department for Business and Trade

11 Deferred

Para 57

We recognise the importance of onshore wind as a significant source of clean energy and...

Recommendation

We recognise the importance of onshore wind as a significant source of clean energy and as a key part of the energy mix required to achieve net zero. The current NPS was reviewed in order to bring the planning framework … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government accepts the Committee’s recommendation and has included a new paragraph 1.1.4 in draft EN-4 setting out that applications can be made in line with current policies to enable the development of relevant natural gas supply infrastructure and oil and gas pipelines to help maintain natural gas resilience.

Department for Business and Trade

12 Accepted

Para 63

We recommend that revised (draft) EN-4 includes explicit and precise wording on hydrogen, Carbon Capture...

Recommendation

We recommend that revised (draft) EN-4 includes explicit and precise wording on hydrogen, Carbon Capture and Storage and other technologies that will more clearly demonstrate how the move away from fossil fuels will be achieved. This must specifically include reference … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government agrees with the importance of reflecting the work of the Offshore Transmission Network Review (OTNR) and has updated the NPS to reflect the work undertaken under the OTNR. Draft EN-5 has been updated to reflect the work of all of the OTNR's workstreams. A new policy presumption known as a CNP for offshore wind is being consulted on.

Department for Business and Trade

14 Accepted

Para 69

We recommend that EN-5 is updated to reflect the outcome of the Offshore Transmission Network...

Recommendation

We recommend that EN-5 is updated to reflect the outcome of the Offshore Transmission Network Review (OTNR). We understand the revised Energy NPS is expected to be laid before Parliament before the OTNR is due to be completed. The Department … Read more

Government Response Summary

The government agrees and has updated EN-5 to reflect the Offshore Transmission Network Review (OTNR), including references to the Holistic Network Design, and is consulting on a new policy presumption (CNP) for offshore wind.

Department for Business and Trade

16

We recommend that Ministers consider whether reference to undergrounding should be extended to include application...

Recommendation

We recommend that Ministers consider whether reference to undergrounding should be extended to include application in areas where network resilience, for example to extreme weather events, is considered more likely in the future. We ask that Ministers write to this … Read more

Department for Business and Trade

18

Para 74

Overall, we recommend that the revised (draft) NPS needs to place greater emphasis on the...

Recommendation

Overall, we recommend that the revised (draft) NPS needs to place greater emphasis on the impact of climate change and the speed at which new infrastructure will need to be built to meet the Government’s net zero target. It must … Read more

Department for Business and Trade

19 Not Addressed

Para 75

The revised NPS for energy should be a clear and unambiguous statement of the key...

Recommendation

The revised NPS for energy should be a clear and unambiguous statement of the key principles underpinning the planning framework, thereby allowing a clear statement of intent while also allowing sufficient flexibility to take into account new and emerging technologies. … Read more

Government Response Summary

Incomplete response. Appears to be the start of a statement about the NPS for energy and technology roadmaps.

Department for Business and Trade

20

We recommend that Government reviews the NPS for energy at least once every five years...

Recommendation

We recommend that Government reviews the NPS for energy at least once every five years and that Ministers ensure the resilience of our energy infrastructure is included in these reviews going forward. (Paragraph 76) 24 Revised (Draft) National Policy Statement … Read more

Department for Business and Trade

Conclusions (6) Observations and findings — click to expand

1 Conclusion Acknowledged

Para 17

We welcome the fact that EN-1 has been revised to reflect the Government’s commitment to deliver net zero by 2050, and to move away from reliance on fossil fuels. Meeting our net zero target will require a significant scale and pace of change in delivering new energy infrastructure. We therefore …

Government Response Summary

The government reaffirms its commitment to net zero and states that draft EN-1 already reflects this commitment and the government's objectives for the energy system.

4 Conclusion Acknowledged

Para 30

We recognise that the inclusion of specific targets for the delivery of renewable energy infrastructure within the NPS would provide a clear indication of the Government’s intention to deliver net zero—and give practical application to this principle within the planning process. We acknowledge the Minister’s response that the Government’s targets …

Government Response Summary

The government acknowledges the importance of specific targets for renewable energy infrastructure but states that it has updated the draft EN-1 to reflect the BESS, Net Zero Strategy, Hydrogen Strategy, and government’s ambitions for Hydrogen and Carbon Capture Use and Storage (CCUS). CCUS and Hydrogen are nascent technologies in the early stages of development and for this reason they do not want the NSIP regime to inadvertently stifle growth and development.

5 Conclusion Accepted

Para 31

If the Government’s targets set for renewables are not to be included within the NPS planning regime, the link between those targets and planning principles must be made explicit in respect of each technology or generation capacity, so that they are clearly understood by planning authorities and industry to facilitate …

Government Response Summary

The government states that technology roadmaps associated with renewables have been referenced in the draft energy NPSs, including the Hydrogen Strategy, the CCUS investor roadmap, and the Biomass Policy Statement, and that further roadmaps will be developed as required.

13 Conclusion Rejected

We also recommend that the NPS include language on maintaining the resilience of fossil fuel infrastructure that will remain in use up to 2035, in line with existing Government policy. (Paragraph 64) Revised (Draft) National Policy Statement for Energy 23

Government Response Summary

The government rejects the recommendation, stating that the transmission network is already resilient and designed to ensure protection from potential risks and that recommending undergrounding of infrastructure would be unnecessary and costly.

15 Conclusion

Para 71

We welcome the clarity in the NPS on undergrounding which will speed up the process for planning electricity connections through designated areas.

17 Conclusion

Para 73

We welcome the review of the NPS for energy which updates the planning framework for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects in line with the Government’s policy commitments as set out in the Energy White Paper. In doing so, it should help provide the energy infrastructure required to deliver the Government’s net …