Developers of NSIPs are concerned about the potential for a change of government in the coming years, according to speakers at the Clean Power 2030 Summit in London earlier this week.
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband has granted Development Consent Orders (DCOs) to 29 large-scale renewable energy projects since becoming Energy Minister in 2024 – not without controversy and opposition. Solar projects with a capacity of more than 100 MW qualify as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) and are approved by DESNZ over the heads of local government.
But changing political circumstances mean that the approval of the NSIP and its development have become less certain. In the longer term, Britain faces the possibility of a Reform Britain victory at the next general election and the turn against renewable energy that would entail. In the short term there will be a change of leadership within the Labor Party and probably a reshuffling of top positions.
“You can only expect that things can change closer to the election,” said James Innes, head of UK development at Elyma, during a panel discussion on DCOs and NSIPs earlier this week. Constituency MPs – including Miliband, if he is still in office at the time of the election – will become more sensitive to local concerns and opposition to major projects as a vote looms, which Innes says will result in some NSIPs ‘soon to be refused’.
The reliance on MPs and Westminster for final approval is one of the downsides of an NSIP project, says Simon Wheeler, development director at Enso Energy, as the massive funding and planning required for such a large project is ultimately up to DESNZ to approve. Investors are less likely to commit to multi-year projects if they are unsure of the government’s future direction. a topic we explored in a recent editorial.
Another question concerns Britain’s suitability for large numbers of major projects. The British landscape does not have the vast, open areas of land of, for example, the US or Australia, where building solar projects of more than 100 MW can have a smaller impact on communities or livelihoods. While there is little argument against expanding renewable energy capacity in Britain, Wheeler questioned whether the centrally approved NSIP program is the best way to achieve that in the long term, compared to seeking to develop a greater number of small-scale sites, where securing community buy-in may be easier.
But potential NSIP developers can also run into problems there. Projects slightly below the NSIP threshold “are accused of circumventing the NSIP program and its attendant controls,” Wheeler said, while NSIPs themselves are accused of circumventing local democracy and communities. “You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t,” he said.
When it comes to community engagement, Innes says the key is to ensure “your consultation is thorough and deep enough” to fairly address local concerns. Opposition to solar energy development has become increasingly vocal in recent years, partly due to the expansion of the technology and the government’s push for NSIP approvals, and partly due to misinformation about the true impact of solar energy projects.
Innes said the public is “statistically in favor of renewables” but developments will always be met with what he called “NIMBYism”. A YouGov poll from March found that public opinion on renewable energy was generally favorable or indifferent, with only 25% of the public believing the government is “putting too much emphasis on renewable energy.”
Ultimately, Wheeler said a “good project” will receive approval if it meets all requirements during development. The long-term economic and energy security case for renewables is clear, and the number of DCOs granted shows that NSIPs can be bankable. He said developers must focus on the quality and specificities of their project, as well as engagement with local communities and governments, to have a chance of success even in today’s changing landscape.
We heard this earlier at the Clean Power conference from former senior advisor at DESNZ, Tim Warham, on the impact that new political divisions over energy are having on the UK’s renewable energy sector.
