The process

The Development Consent Order (DCO) process

The Government classifies major energy projects as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs). Consent to construct, operate and maintain, and decommission is given in accordance with the Planning Act 2008.

The Morgan Offshore Wind Project Generation Assets and the Morecambe Offshore Windfarm Generation Assets are each considered to be NSIPs in their own right and will be the subject of separate applications for development consent.

In October 2022, the Secretary of State at the time (the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) issued a direction under Section 35 of the Planning Act 2008 that the Morgan and Morecambe Offshore Wind Farms: Transmission Assets should be treated as a development for which development consent is required.

Therefore, a third application for development consent is proposed to be submitted for both projects’ joint Transmission Assets.

For each NSIP an application for development consent must be submitted to, and examined by, the Planning Inspectorate and a decision made by the relevant Secretary of State; in this case the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.

This is our second non-statutory consultation on the latest proposals for the Transmission Assets. This brochure provides an overview of the work we have carried out following the feedback we received during our first consultation in 2022. For this consultation, we are encouraging feedback on the work we have undertaken so far.

We expect to submit our final application in 2024. This will include:

  • A consultation report which will set out how feedback from all our consultations has shaped the design of the proposed development. It will include a summary of consultation responses, including how feedback has been considered and how it may be used.
  • An Environmental Statement setting out the environmental effects of the project and how we could look to mitigate them.

Your feedback

You can leave us feedback by using our consultation map link below. Or you can also fill in an online feedback form.

All responses to this consultation must be received by midnight 4 June 2023. Responses received after this date may not be considered.

Feedback form Consultation map

You can view all our consultation materials and find out about our consultation events and deposit locations on our consultation hub.

Consultation hub

The DCO application will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate and Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. If the DCO application is accepted, a pre-examination stage will begin, with opportunities for local community members to register as an interested party on the Planning Inspectorate’s website and request to take part in the examination process.

The Planning Inspectorate will then examine the DCO application, with input from interested parties and statutory consultees.

The examination period is expected to take a maximum of six months. Following the examination, the Planning Inspectorate will present its recommendation to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, who will then make the final decision on whether the DCO should be granted. We anticipate for a final decision to be made on our application in 2025.