NESO will undertake additional delivery works to support an implementation plan for latest network designs for Great Britain’s transmission grid including for offshore links.
These network designs for the GB National Electricity Transmission Network include those involving offshore coordination of future offshore electricity generation through the Holistic Network Design (HND), Holistic Network Design Follow Up Exercise (HNDFUE), Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) and Celtic Sea projects.
Given the size and scope of the design exercise, NESO will carry out several environmental assessments, including with a Strategic Environmental Assessment that will ensure NESO’s final network design recommendations have given the appropriate level of consideration to environmental concerns.
A Strategic Environmental Assessment is a systematic process to evaluate the likely significant environmental and socio-economic effects of proposed policies, plans and programmes.
A Strategic Environmental Assessment also considers reasonable alternatives and inter-relationships with other plans and programmes.
A Strategic Environmental Assessment provides for transparent decision making, requiring public consultation and publication of results of the consultations in decision-making.
Additional assessment works are already underway to conduct a Habitats Regulations Assessment and a Marine Conservation Zone Assessment.