The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has published its response to a consultation on land rights for electricity network infrastructure.
The summary document collects responses received during a call for evidence into land rights and consents for electricity network infrastructure, which was open between 4 August and 22 September 2022. This call received a total of 57 responses from a variety of areas, including renewable energy developers, land agents and surveyors, network operators, trade associations, and chargepoint operators.
Many respondents cited planning processes as presenting a barrier to developing network infrastructure and a cause of delays, with some calling current processes “fragmented, slow and uncertain”.
As a result of the received feedback, the government has confirmed that it will implement several new policy changes to help improve the land rights and consenting process for energy network infrastructure projects. These include encouraging industry stakeholders to sign up for a voluntary code of practice, which lays out the expected behaviours of parties involved in landowner–developer negotiations, as well as strengthening application systems to speed up the consenting process and updating publicly available guidance documentation on statutory processes.
Energy minister Michael Shanks said: “Hold-ups in the land rights and consents process are leading to delays in connecting new clean, homegrown electricity to the grid, which has the potential to protect British homes and businesses from volatile fossil fuel markets. By moving quickly to implement a series of light touch reforms, we are helping to speed up key infrastructure projects ahead of wider reforms — so consumers feel the benefits of clean power quicker.”
Respondents were asked to provide input on a number of key areas, including the consenting process for overhead transmission lines, permitted development rights, and other areas, as well as their overall experience of the land rights and consenting system. The report notes that the majority of respondents expressed an overall negative experience with the land rights and consent process and called for reform, with only a limited number stating their experience was mostly positive.
The responses echo other conclusions drawn by energy consultancy Cornwall Insight, which noted that 75% of energy experts feel that getting a timely grid connection is the greatest challenge to the rollout of renewable power in the UK.
Expansion of energy network infrastructure is vital to net zero
As the UK’s renewable energy generation capacity continues to grow, and with electricity demand set to double by 2050, increased transmission and distribution infrastructure is crucial for our modern, clean grid. In fact, 2022 government statistics estimate that the British distribution network could require as much as 460,000km of additional network cabling by 2050, compared to now, to hit the country’s clean energy goals.
In an effort to hasten the process of developing and connecting transmission infrastructure, several bodies are taking action.
In October, the UK and Scottish governments announced the launch of a joint consultation on proposed changes to the permitting process for energy projects in Scotland, including new standardised processes for permitting applications. The Scottish government hopes these changes will cut the current waiting time for approval, which can take up to four years, as the government looks to bring 20GW of clean energy capacity online by the end of the decade.
Meanwhile, the National Energy System Operator (NESO) has opened its own consultation into proposed grid connection reforms, acknowledging the “clear and urgent need to reform” the connections process.
