Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he taking to ensure that the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan ensures that new energy infrastructure projects are located in the most appropriate areas.

In October 2024, the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments commissioned the National Energy System Operator to produce a Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP). This commission included the development of a methodology to set out in more detail how the SSEP will be produced. The SSEP will not recommend project-specific locations, but will set out the potential for the development of energy infrastructure in different areas of Great Britain through economic and geospatial modelling. The methodology is subject to final approval by the Secretary of State and is due for publication in May.