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Select committee: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee

Fourth Special Report - Revised (Draft) National Policy Statement for Energy: Government response to the Committee’s Ninth Report of Session 2021–22

Published 27 April 2023

Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee Energy National Policy Statements Report on parliament.uk ↗

At a glance

The government's response

This document responds to Ninth Report - Revised (Draft) National Policy Statement for Energy.

This is the government's response, published 27 April 2023.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government says it has accepted some of the Committee's 13 recommendations, partially accepted others and not accepted others, and is re-consulting on revised draft energy National Policy Statements following the British Energy Security Strategy.

  • On hydrogen, the government "accepts the Committee's recommendation" to update draft EN-1 and EN-2 for the Hydrogen Strategy, saying EN-1 has been updated and amendments to EN-2 "are not needed". It also accepts the recommendation on fossil fuel resilience, adding a new paragraph 1.1.4 to draft EN-4.
  • It does not accept the recommendation on undergrounding, saying that recommending it in draft EN-5 on resilience grounds "would be unnecessary" and "could slow the delivery of critical infrastructure".
  • On a single National Policy Statement across sectors, the government "has no plans" to create one, though DLUHC "will however consider the merits and possibility of consolidating NPSs over the longer term".
  • On onshore wind, the government agrees it is "an important part of the energy mix" but says local councils will remain responsible for applications. It commits to consult on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

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