Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the number of compulsory purchase orders that will be required in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire as part of the Grimsby to Walpole grid upgrade.

The Planning Act 2008 includes provisions for the compulsory acquisition of land as part of Development Consent Orders (DCO). Decisions on whether to grant compulsory purchase orders (CPO) are made by the Secretary of State as part of the decision to grant a DCO. When doing so, the Secretary of State will assess whether the case for compulsory acquisition meets the requirements set out in the Planning Act 2008. Until the DCO application comes to the Secretary of State for a decision, no estimate can be made of the number of CPOs required as part of the Grimsby to Walpole grid upgrade scheme.