Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has made an assessment of the impact of trial trenching requirements on (a) the delivery of new low-carbon generation projects and (b) associated costs for renewable energy developers.

Planning consents will set requirements for pre-construction archaeological surveys where appropriate, and techniques used may include trial trenching. The most appropriate technique is likely to depend on the specific circumstances in each case.