Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of trial trenching requirements on (a) costs for solar project developers and (b) investment in ground-mounted solar projects.

Planning consents will set requirements for pre-construction archaeological surveys where appropriate, and techniques used may include trial trenching. The most appropriate technique is likely to depend on the specific circumstances in each case.