Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the process is for designating Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.

The thresholds that designate a project as a nationally significant infrastructure project are set out in Planning Act 2008 and spelled out in more detail at the start of the overarching Energy National Policy Statement (EN-1).

The thresholds for England are currently: if it does not generate electricity from wind and it is not an offshore generating station, its capacity must be more than 50 megawatts; and, if it is an offshore generating station, its capacity must be more than 100 megawatts.

The thresholds for Wales are: if it does not generate electricity from wind, its capacity must be more than 350 megawatts; and, if it is in waters adjacent to Wales up to the seaward limits of the territorial sea, or in the Welsh zone, its capacity must be more than 350 megawatts.