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 of building energy infrastructure on protected peatland.

The Government has committed to ensuring nature’s recovery and recognises the vital role of peatlands in storing carbon, tackling climate change and fighting biodiversity loss. The National Policy Statements for energy set out the requirements on developers to undertake Greenhouse Gas Assessments and the mitigation hierarchy they must apply, including consideration of peatland restoration through a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy. Where significant effects are likely, energy infrastructure developers must submit an Environmental Impact Assessment with their planning application, demonstrating how they have applied this hierarchy to any impacts arising from proposed development.