Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether proposals to temporarily close parts of St Anne’s beach to lay cables to connect the Morgan and Morecambe windfarm to its substations includes provisions to compensate affected business owners.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
All relevant information on the Morgan and Morecambe transmission assets can be found on the appropriate project page of the Planning Inspectorate website. The developers set out their proposals for a contingency fund to address temporary business disruptions caused by necessary construction works in their Development Consent Order Application documents.[1]
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on biodiversity of proposals for the Morgan and Morecambe windfarm (a) cabling corridor and (b) substations.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
National Energy System Operator (NESO) considered the environmental impacts of the proposed Morgan and Morecambe windfarms cabling corridor and substation as part of its Holistic Network Design (HND).[1]
The developers, BP and EnBW, have submitted detailed environmental assessments addressing the impacts on biodiversity as part of the Morgan and Morecambe transmission project planning application.[2]
[1] https://www.neso.energy/publications/beyond-2030/holistic-network-design-offshore-wind
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on the area’s badger population of proposals for the Morgan and Morecambe (a) cabling corridor and (b) substations.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
National Energy System Operator considered the onshore and offshore impacts of the proposals for the Morgan and Morecambe windfarms cable corridor and substation on sensitive habitats as part of its Holistic Network Design.[1] Following this, the developers BP and EnBW submitted detailed environmental assessments as part of the project planning application, which include assessment of the impacts on specific species such as badgers.[2]
[1] https://www.neso.energy/publications/beyond-2030/holistic-network-design-offshore-wind
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2024 to question 19898 on Wind Power: Fylde, what account the cost assessments have taken of existing infrastructure connecting Stanah to Penwortham.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
National Energy System Operator (NESO) recommended the transmission infrastructure required to connect Morgan and Morecambe offshore wind projects to the grid as part of its Holistic Network Design (HND). In producing the HND, NESO assessed multiple onshore and offshore design options against future generation and demand scenarios, existing infrastructure in the National Electricity Transmission System, and total capital and operational costs. NESO then used an economic optimiser to determine the optimal economic design from the options.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his oral Answer to the Question from the hon. Member for Fylde of 8 October 2024, Official Report, column 140, whether his Department has made an assessment of the viability of (a) Stanah in Blackpool North and Fleetwood constituency and (b) other alternative routes for connecting the Morgan and Morecambe windfarm to the national grid.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Electricity System Operator (then ESO, now NESO) assessed connection to the Stanah substation for Irish Sea windfarms alongside other substations in the Northwest and North Wales as part of the Holistic Network Design.[1]
ESO identified that Stanah substation would require extension to accommodate the Morgan and Morecambe offshore windfarms. Due to limited space, a new substation would be needed, with associated time and cost. Access was challenging due to residential and recreational surroundings, and there were environmental constraints around Morecambe Bay.
In contrast, Penwortham had a more accessible footprint, fewer constraints, and better electrical connectivity to the wider network.
[1] https://www.neso.energy/publications/beyond-2030/holistic-network-design-offshore-wind