Government Issues Draft Renewables NPS

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...