Planning change removes blockers to ‘critical’ offshore wind

The government has announcement planning changes to support the delivery of offshore wind projects and their supporting network infrastructure.

The latest revisions to the energy National Policy Statements (NPSs), which have been published today (Thursday 30 March) as part of the government’s wider Energy Security Plan announcement, propose that offshore wind projects should be reclassed as critical national infrastructure.

This new classification means, according to the government consultation paper, that the urgent need for offshore wind will generally outweigh the impacts of development that are not capable of being otherwise mitigated.

The same critical national priority presumption will also be given to onshore network infrastructure that supports these wind farms, together with related grid reinforcements.

The new presumption has been introduced to the umbrella energy NPS EN-1 as well as EN-3 and EN-5, which cover renewable energy infrastructure and electricity networks respectively.

The lack of a strong presumption in favour of offshore wind in the existing NPS, which has not been updated since it was published in 2011, is blamed for the increasing difficulties that such projects face securing consent.

Another revision strengthens moves to encourage wind farm developers to co-ordinate the rollout of offshore transmission rather than build their own point to point connections with the onshore grid.

The draft change to EN-5 includes a presumption that offshore transmission will be co-ordinated and radial options only proposed where assessment shows a co-ordinated solution is not feasible.

It also formally recognises the government-led Offshore Transmission Network Review and Ofgem’s move to Centralised Strategic Network Planning.

And EN-3 includes changes designed to facilitate compensation measures to address impacts of offshore wind projects on wildlife prior to applications being submitted.

The revisions to the NPSs are out for consultation, which will conclude on May 25.

Responding to the NPS revisions, Nick Molho, executive director of the Aldersgate Group sustainable finance thinktank said: “The government has rightly recognised the urgency of removing barriers to the rapid roll out of power grid infrastructure. Today’s welcome consultation on the revised set of energy national policy statements must result in detailed planning reforms in the near-term to speed up essential grid and renewable project development.

“The rapid reinforcement and extension of the grid network is essential to both connect the significant pipeline of low carbon power projects needed over the next decade to fully decarbonise the power sector and to support those heavy industrial sectors which will require greater access to electricity to decarbonise, such as steel, cement and chemicals.”