Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance Natural England and the Environment Agency have issued to privately developed carbon capture projects such as Peak Clusters on protecting wildlife and designated habitats on the Wirral and Dee Estuary.

Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Natural England has provided formal advice through the Environmental Impact Assessment scoping consultation. This identified several matters requiring further consideration, including gaps and inaccuracies in the assessment of designated sites, missing protected species survey data, including for natterjack toads on the Wirral, and the need for a more robust assessment of air quality, landscape and habitat impacts. Natural England also advised on the need for detailed agricultural land classification information.

On Wirral, Natural England has raised concerns regarding the marine ecology assessment, the adequacy of protected species surveys, and potential impacts on protected habitats and bird features.

Natural England will continue to engage with the applicant and provide evidence-based advice as the proposals develop, with the aim of securing appropriate protection for the natural environment.

The Environment Agency published carbon capture guidance and is developing its evidence and regulatory approach to understand and manage potential impacts from carbon capture developments.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department provides guidance on the minimum safe separation distances between carbon dioxide pipelines and residential areas.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

DESNZ does not prescribe a single minimum safe separation distance between carbon dioxide pipelines and residential areas. The safety of CO₂ pipelines is considered through the relevant regulatory and planning frameworks, taking account of the circumstances and risks associated with individual projects.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the national regulator for workplace health and safety and regulates the health and safety aspects of CCUS operations within its remit, including CO₂ pipelines.

DESNZ and HSE are also involved in the joint industry Project Skylark, which is examining the safe operation of CO₂ pipelines and contributing to the evidence base for future regulatory and operational decision-making.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, on what criteria a decision is made about approving a Development Consent Order (DCO) for privately developed carbon capture projects.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The criteria for DCO decisions for all carbon capture projects are set out in the Energy National Policy Statements (EN-1: Energy, and EN-2: Natural Gas Electricity Generating Infrastructure). EN-1 establishes an urgent need for carbon capture and storage infrastructure as part of the energy mix and provides specific policy for the assessment of DCO applications.

EN-2 sets out the assessment provisions that are applied to any gas fired power station with carbon capture. A project must demonstrate technically feasible plans for the carbon capture plant and assess its environmental effects, including the arrangements for the transport and storage of the captured carbon.