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

To ask His Majesty's Government why, in contrast to other regions, the Holistic Network Design impact criteria are not being used to assess the suitability of sites for offshore wind power infrastructure in East Anglia.

The Holistic Network Design (HND) was published in July 2022. For offshore wind projects that do not yet have firm connection contracts, the HND recommends network solutions that deliver coordination, cost and efficiency benefits and an overall reduction in new infrastructure. However it cannot mandate changes to projects with pre-existing connection contracts, including many in East Anglia. For these, the Government has launched the £100m capital grant scheme to support the development of voluntary coordination options.