Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to ensure the restoration of deep peat following the decommissioning of energy infrastructure projects.

Responsibility for decommissioning on land is set out in relevant planning permissions. For nationally significant energy infrastructure decisions taken by the Department, National Policy Statements require applicants to avoid deep peat where possible, minimise and mitigate impacts on peatland including through restoration, and provide plans for site decommissioning and restoration. For cases determined by local planning authorities, it is for the authority to determine what planning conditions are needed to ensure energy infrastructure is removed once no longer in use and that land is restored to appropriate use, in line with the National Planning Policy Framework and relevant Planning Practice Guidance. The carbon cost of disturbing peatland is also an important part of the environmental assessment.