Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the readiness of the national grid to accommodate the change in energy mix set out in the Energy Security Strategy; and what steps he is planning to take to help protect the rural landscape in the event that work is required to strengthen the national grid.

The Government’s British Energy Security Strategy sets out measures to accelerate the connecting onshore network infrastructure required to support targets for electricity generation. These measures could reduce timelines for delivering network infrastructure by around three years.

Communities will retain their voice in decision making and planning decisions will still be robust. The Government has consulted on amending the energy National Policy Statements to strengthen the mitigation of landscape and visual impacts from network infrastructure. This includes the need to follow ‘good design’ principles and a starting presumption to underground electricity cables in designated areas, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.