Written question WQ86435

Erebus requires two main consents. Those are a Section 36 consent under the Electricity Act 1989 from the Welsh Ministers and a Marine Licence from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. The two separate processes can be streamlined where possible to avoid duplication, reducing regulatory burden.

Once received, marine licence applications are advertised and consulted on with technical experts, this can be an iterative process in cases where applicants have not provided robust applications or insufficient information in support of applications. The determination of applications will progress once decision-makers are satisfied any representations have been considered, and they have sufficient information to understand and assess the potential impacts of a project in line with the relevant legislation. NRW are responsible for determining the marine licence application, further details on the steps involved can be found on the NRW website.

Applications for a Section 36 consent are considered by an appointed planning Inspector, who may also hold a hearing or an inquiry. A report of its findings on the scheme is then submitted to the Welsh Ministers, who will determine the Section 36 application.