Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of placing cables for national energy infrastructure associated with energy parks underground.

The Government’s overarching position on undergrounding is set out in the National Policy Statement for Electricity Networks Infrastructure (NPS EN-5). It states that overhead lines should be the strong starting presumption except in nationally designated landscapes where undergrounding is the starting presumption.

Developers are responsible for designing electricity network infrastructure, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, planning policy and regulatory requirements, and assessing the merits of undergrounding cables on a project-by-project basis.

The Government does not make assessments for specific projects unless they come to the Secretary of State for a final planning decision.