INConsenting

INC: Energy

DCO Manager; Infrastructure Planning; Planning Act 2008

Subsurface energy storage, Irish Sea

National Grid, North Wales

National Grid, Mid Wales

Energy Park NSIP, Northeast England

Richborough Connection Project NSIP

A selection of our energy related infrastructure consenting project experience is provided below...

Subsurface Energy Storage, Irish Sea

INC supported a renewable electricity generating business in assessing the feasibility of sub-surface energy storage beneath the Irish Sea, providing strategic consenting management advice at an early and business-critical stage of project development.

We worked closely with the client to identify and evaluate the full range of consenting pathways available, clarifying regulatory risks, programme implications and decision points. Our advice enabled the project team to understand how marine licensing, environmental assessment and cross-border regulatory requirements could shape project design, delivery strategy and investment timing.

A key focus of our support was advising on compliance with the Trans-European Networks for Energy Regulation (TEN-E) framework for EU cross-border energy infrastructure. We provided practical, commercially focused guidance on navigating the Project of Common Interest (PCI) process, aligning national consenting regimes with TEN-E timeframes, and coordinating engagement with multiple competent authorities.By combining regulatory insight with a clear understanding of commercial drivers, INC helped position the project for efficient progression through complex consenting processes, reducing uncertainty and supporting informed investment decisions.

National Grid, North Wales

The National Grid North Wales Connection is a proposed 400kV electricity transmission line between new nuclear generation at Wylfa Newydd on the Isle of Anglesey to an existing National Grid substation in North Wales at Pentir. The connection includes a combination of overhead lines, tunnel, lattice pylons and associated compounds.

INC provided infrastructure consenting support during the evolution of the project and up to point of DCO hearings. Main activities included providing strategic advice on consenting management strategy, route to consent activities, management of required consents and licences, audit and de-risking of submission documentation. INC also led production of submission documents, including:

2008 Planning Act Section 55 Checklist
DCO Schedule 3 (DCO Requirements)
DCO Schedule 4 (Procedure for Discharge of DCO Requirements)
Other Required Consents and Licences Document
DCO Application Letter
DCO Glossary Document
DCO Application Forms

INC coordinated inputs and negotiation with important project stakeholders, notably on:

Statements of Common Ground
Service Level Agreements
Section 106 Agreements
DCO Articles

The National Grid North Wales Connection Project is on-hold and has been withdrawn from DCO Hearings. The Wylfa Newydd generation project has been halted, thus removing the immediate need for the connection. Further information on the project is available from National Grid: www.nationalgrid.com

National Grid, Mid-Wales

The National Grid Mid Wales Connection was a proposed 400kV electricity transmission link connecting strategic renewable energy generation in Mid Wales to the existing National Grid network in Shropshire. The project formed a key element of wider electricity network reinforcement to accommodate new onshore wind generation.

INC played a leading role in the early development of the scheme, heading the site optioneering process for potential substation locations in Powys. This included managing and coordinating a multidisciplinary consultant team to undertake technical, environmental and planning assessments, culminating in the production of a comprehensive Substation Siting Study.

INC also prepared two separate Consultation Feedback Reports on behalf of National Grid, analysing stakeholder and community responses and advising on how feedback should inform site selection, project design and subsequent consenting strategy. In parallel, INC developed a pioneering consenting strategy for National Grid under the newly introduced Planning Act 2008 Development Consent Order (DCO) regime. This included advising on how the NSIP process would operate in Wales, navigating the interface with the devolved Welsh administration, and establishing a clear route to consent at a time when the DCO process was still evolving. Our work provided National Grid with a robust, defensible site selection process and a clear strategic pathway for progressing a nationally significant infrastructure project through a new and untested consenting framework.