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 quadrupling offshore wind capacity on communities that will host the necessary transmission infrastructure.

Strategic planning will help ensure the overall impact of network infrastructure is minimised, by considering the impact on communities from the outset, alongside environmental impact, cost and deliverability.

However, this will not eliminate the need for new infrastructure. It is therefore important that where communities host clean energy infrastructure, they directly benefit from it. We are currently considering options for this.

All projects are subject to the independent planning system, which includes consideration of community impact.