Source · Select Committees · Energy Security and Net Zero Committee
Recommendation 5
5
Accepted
National Policy Statements inadequately reflect strategic plans and have an unclear relationship with NSIPs.
Conclusion
We welcome the new strategic framework for energy infrastructure planning which the Government proposes to endorse in the National Policy Statements. However, even with these changes, the National Policy Statements do not sufficiently reflect the highly important role that strategic plans are intended to have in guiding future energy infrastructure development to achieve the Government’s 2030 and 2050 targets. The relationship between the plans and the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime is far from clear. (Conclusion, Paragraph 23)
Government Response Summary
The government has added a reference to the SSEP in the NPS to ensure it's accorded weight and clarified how SSEP and CSNP will interact. Further information will be published in early 2026.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The reference to the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) in the NPS will ensure that it is accorded weight in the planning system once it is endorsed by all relevant governments. A reference to how the Centralised Strategic Network Plan (CSNP) and SSEP will interact has been added to the NPS. This states that modelling from the chosen SSEP pathway will feed into the CSNP. NESO will also provide further information in the CSNP methodology which has been consulted on and is currently under development and will be published early 2026.