Our Development Consent Order
We carried out several stages of consultation on Net Zero Teesside (NZT) between Autumn 2019, when we introduced NZT to the local community, to January 2021, when we provided an update on changes made to the Project. After each stage we reviewed the comments received from the local community and other stakeholders and undertook further work.
In July 2021 we submitted a Development Consent Order (DCO) application for the construction and operation of the onshore elements of NZT to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS), a government agency, that administers the development consent application process on behalf of the relevant Secretary of State.
On 16 August 2021 PINS formally accepted our DCO application for examination.
On 16 February 2024, Net Zero Teesside Power and the Northern Endurance Partnership received development consent from the Secretary of State for Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) following a recommendation from the Planning Inspectorate (PINS).
The application documents can be viewed at the Documents tab on the PINS website: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/north-east/the-net-zero-teesside-project/
The Digital Non-Technical Summary of the Environmental Statement can also be found here: https://planengageuk.alytics.com/nzt-digital-nts/home
The DCO process
NZT is defined as a ‘Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project’ (a ‘NSIP’)under Section 35 of The Planning Act 2008. Therefore, before the onshore elements of NZT can be built, we were required to apply for and obtain development consent from the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy under Section 37 of the Act. Development consent for a NSIP is granted in the form of a Development Consent Order (a ‘DCO’).
The offshore elements of NZT will be subject to separate consent applications, which are being progressed by the Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP). This will involve the captured carbon dioxide being transported to and stored in the Endurance carbon store – a saline aquifer – which lies approximately 145km offshore from Teesside in the southern North Sea.
Consultation is a key part of the DCO process and it is a statutory requirement of The Planning Act 2008 to consult people living within the vicinity of the development being proposed and to take their views into account in preparing an application for development consent. Our DCO application includes a Consultation Report that details what was done to consult the local community (and other stakeholders and interested parties) and how people’s views were taken into account.
On 16 August 2021 PINs accepted our DCO application for examination. The Relevant Representations that have been were submitted by interested parties to PINS during the pre-examination period can be viewed at the Relevant Representations tab on the PINS website: : https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/north-east/the-net-zero-teesside-project/?ipcsection=relreps
On 16 February 2024, Net Zero Teesside Power and the Northern Endurance Partnership received development consent from the Secretary of State for Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) following a recommendation from the Planning Inspectorate (PINS).
Further details on the DCO process can be found at the PINS website: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/application-process/the-process/.
