On 9 November 2009, the Department of Energy and Climate Change
unveiled the draft Renewable Energy National Policy Statement
(NPS) together with another five draft National Policy Statements,
one
Overarching Energy NPS (the Overarching NPS) and four
'technology-specific' energy NPSs.
The Renewable NPS is designed to facilitate and streamline planning
application process for large renewable projects, as well as
provide the framework within which development consents for these
types of projects will be granted. This will be of particular
interest to developers of renewable energy projects and other
stakeholders in that industry.
As previously reported, the Government established a new
independent body as part of the reform of the planning system, the
Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC), which will consider all
planning applications relating to nationally significant
infrastructure projects in accordance with the guidance set out in
the NPSs. It is anticipated that the NPS will bring more clarity
and a higher degree of predictability to the process as it informs
the applicants on the main issues the IPC will consider.
What sort of projects does the NPS apply to?
The Renewable NPS only applies to significant renewable energy infrastructure projects with the minimum threshold of:
- 100MW for offshore wind
- 50 MW for onshore wind and
- 50 MW for energy from biomass and/or waste
The IPC will consider all projects that meet these thresholds
and will make its decision within one year from the date of
application, making it considerably faster than the current
approval process which in some instances can take up to five years.
All other projects that do not meet the set threshold will remain
under local authority control for planning purposes.
Key points of the NPS
The NPS is divided into three separate sections dealing with three
different renewable technologies: offshore wind, onshore wind and
biomass/waste combustion. Within these three sections, the NPS
lists (i) various factors that may influence project developers
when selecting a site, (ii) technical considerations to be taken
into account by the IPC when determining renewable projects and
(iii) any impacts that the development and operation of the project
may have.
Factors influencing site selection by applicants
- Offshore Wind - in selecting a site for an
offshore wind project, developers will need to consider factors
such as environmental implications of the development, any
permissions that need to be obtained from the Crown Estate before
installing any offshore structures, wind resource of a proposed
wind farm, geological conditions of the site and their suitability
for the proposed development, grid connection into the relevant
electricity network, and other offshore infrastructure or
activities that may interfere with the site.
- Onshore Wind - considerations such as
predicted wind speed, proximity of site to dwellings, capacity of a
site, connection of the proposed wind farm to the national grid and
access to the site for both its construction and operation will be
relevant to onshore wind farm developers.
- Biomass and Waste Combustion - developers need
to consider factors such as grid capacity and connection, any
necessary links to transport networks, combined heat and power
application, and carbon capture readiness for certain types of
combustion generating stations.
Technical consideration for the IPC when determining
renewable projects
- Offshore Wind - the IPC will take into account technical considerations such as constrains presented by the regulatory regime for offshore transmission networks, any details of the project that the applicant may not know about at the time of the application but that will be finalised after the IPC consent, any allowances that should be made for unforeseen events that may affect the project (micrositing), any constraints in the leases for the land adjacent to existing consented wind farms, repowering of the old site with new turbines, monitoring and measuring the impact of the development, and any decommissioning programmes that need to be considered by the Secretary of State before any offshore construction work begins.
- Onshore Wind - the IPC will considers
technical factors such as access tracks to connect onshore wind
farms to the public road network, the lifetime of the project,
flexibility in the project details and design, any flexibility in a
project consent due to any unforeseen event in the future, and
repowering of existing sites with new turbines.
- Biomass and Waste Combustion - the IPC will take into account any uncertainties in the development of a biomass/waste combustion plant to ensure necessary flexibility in the project details.
IPC Impact Assessment
- Offshore Wind - the most important
considerations for offshore wind projects when assessing their
general impact include impacts on marine ecology and biodiversity
(especially during construction and decommissioning of the
project), the livelihood of fish, marine mammals and birds,
commercial fishing activities, historic environment, navigation and
shipping, and any existing oil, gas and other offshore
infrastructure and activities.
- Onshore Wind - the IPC will consider onshore
wind project impacts on biodiversity and geological conservation,
historic environment, landscape, visual and noise considerations,
potential shadow flicker effect, and any effect on traffic and
transport.
- Biomass and Waste Combustion - in addition to the impact considerations set out in the Overarching NPS, the IPC should also assess the impact of biomass/waste combustion plant on air quality and emissions (this NPS does not cover CO2 emissions), landscape and visual effects, local and regional waste management, and residue management.
Next Steps
The consultation on this NPS is open to the public and
will remain open until 22 February 2010. After the consultation is
closed, the NPS will go to Parliament for approval following which
the NPS will be designated and the IPC will acquire powers in
accordance with the NPS. It is planned that the IPC commences its
operations in March 2010.
To read our previous law-now on the Overarching NPS, please
click here
This article was written for Law-Now, CMS Cameron McKenna's free online information service. To register for Law-Now, please go to www.law-now.com/law-now/mondaq
Law-Now information is for general purposes and guidance only. The information and opinions expressed in all Law-Now articles are not necessarily comprehensive and do not purport to give professional or legal advice. All Law-Now information relates to circumstances prevailing at the date of its original publication and may not have been updated to reflect subsequent developments.
The original publication date for this article was 12/11/2009.