Electricity infrastructure consenting in Scotland
Read the full outcome
Detail of outcome
The government response summarises the feedback and evidence received to this consultation. The responses have been analysed and the policy approach agreed with the Scottish Government.
Following the consultation, we intend to proceed with the package of reforms to make the electricity consenting process in Scotland more efficient and to ensure that local communities are consulted on project proposals at an early stage. This includes taking forward proposals to implement:
- pre-application requirements
- application information requirements
- application input from statutory consultees
- the examination process when a planning authority raises an objection to an application
- processes for variations of consents
- fees for pre-application activities and necessary wayleaves processing
- the process to challenge the electricity infrastructure consenting decisions of Scottish Ministers
Acting on consultation responses, some of the original proposals have been adapted. These include:
- streamlining and strengthening pre-application requirements
- enabling time limits to be set for statutory consultees and the Scottish Government in the consenting process
- removing the proposal for a limitation to amendments to applications
- refining the new examination process for when a relevant planning authority objects
- removing the proposal to allow the Scottish Government to suspend or revoke consents without an application and refining the proposal to vary consents without an application
The UK government will work closely with the Scottish Government to take forward the reforms, including by legislating through the upcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill.
Detail of feedback received
We received 545 responses from a range of organisations and individuals including:
- local authorities
- statutory consultees/ advisory bodies
- community groups
- transmission owners
- electricity generation owners/ developers
- battery storage owners/ developers
- individuals
Responses to the consultation included feedback on how to ensure that the reformed consenting process allows meaningful opportunities for all interested groups to input, in a way that is straightforward and proportionate, and is deliverable in practice.
Original consultation
Consultation description
The UK government believes that Scotland’s growing renewable electricity sector requires a robust, timely and proportionate consenting process which meaningfully involves communities and relevant planning authorities in decision-making.
The Scottish Government grants consents to electricity infrastructure – both generating stations over 50MW (1 MW for generating stations 0-12 nautical miles from shore) and network projects - under the Electricity Act 1989. The UK and Scottish governments agree that modernising and removing inefficiencies within the Electricity Act 1989, is the best route to speeding up electricity infrastructure deployment, which is vital to achieving clean power for 2030 and beyond.
It is also agreed that requirements for applicants to involve communities and statutory consultees through pre-application and application processes should be strengthened, to build a fairer consenting system and develop better quality applications for consent.
This consultation sets out a package of proposals for reform which span the consenting journey. The purpose of the consultation is to test these proposals with a wide group of stakeholders ranging from communities hosting infrastructure to applicants for consent. This will help us understand the impacts proposals will have across stakeholder groups and be used to shape the development of policy proposals.
Alongside the consultation, we have published an options assessment which outlines the rationale for the reforms and identifies the costs and benefits.
Documents
Updates to this page
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Published the government response to this consultation.
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First published.