The petition of the people of Suffolk Coastal and the wider Suffolk area,
Declares that the UK was the first G7 country to legislate for net-zero by 2050, which coupled with an even stronger need for energy independence means a Government commitment to provide 40GW of offshore wind electricity by 2030; further declares that emerging Government policy including the subsequent review of the National Policy Statements for Energy sets out that a more co-ordinated approach to the delivery of onshore electricity transmission infrastructure is required recognising cumulative impact; further declares the concerns of the petitioners, that through a mixture of already granted planning consents, proposed landfall sites, cable corridors and convertor stations the huge impact these connections would have on the communities and precious landscape of the Suffolk coast, much of which is in the AONB.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to review all onshore energy connections along the Suffolk Coast and carry out a comparative study, including already suggested brownfield sites, properly assessing the environmental impact of these connections before proceeding any further.
And the petitioners remain etc.—[Official Report, 28 March 2023, Vol. 730, c. 11P.]
[P002825]
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Andrew Bowie):
Ensuring community concerns are heard and addressed within the independent planning process is a priority for the Government and we remain attuned to community concerns in the East Anglia region.
The Government are taking steps to reduce infrastructure in East Anglia by encouraging regional co-ordination among responsible parties including developers. The independent National Grid Electricity Systems Operator (ESO) is also engaged in these efforts. They include;
Dialogue to deliver coordination between developers in the region, hosted by trade body Renewable UK.
The launch of a £100 million grant fund to support developers developing option for a more co-ordinated approach—Offshore Co-ordination Support Scheme, OCSS.
As requested by community groups and local MPs, ESO will undertake a study to re-evaluate transmission options—both onshore and offshore—in light of the OCSS outcomes.
We are also consulting on proposed changes to national policy statements and on community benefits for transmission infrastructure projects.
These initiatives are ongoing and represent significant efforts to maximise opportunities to reduce the impact of infrastructure in the region. It is important that we allow the OCSS and consequent independent ESO study to conclude before further detailed discussion can take place.
The Government set the rules for a robust and independent planning process. It is not the role of Government to undertake any assessment of alternatives to the locations chosen by the ESO or transmission operators and developers.
Within the independent and robust planning process, individual developers must demonstrate how their proposal meets nationally set criteria and have fairly considered alternatives. Each project holds statutory consultations to ensure community views are considered. All projects must be allowed to progress through the robust independent planning process where they must demonstrate their acceptability against existing National Policy Statements set out in law, and any planning decision remains challengeable in court with sufficient grounds.
We would encourage you to write to the relevant project developers and ESO to highlight the points you raise on the impact of connections in Suffolk. As the responsible organisation, independent of Government, they are best placed to respond in full on these matters.