Written question WQ96309

The Welsh Government, with the UK Government and Scottish Government, co-commissioned the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to undertake work to deliver a Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) for Great Britain. The commissioning letter can be viewed on the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s website.

The SSEP has been co-commissioned to help accelerate and optimise the transition to clean, affordable and secure energy across Great Britain by providing greater clarity to industry, investors, consumers and the public on the shape of a future reformed energy system. There are many interconnecting elements of spatial energy planning, some of which are within the scope of competence of Welsh Ministers. However there are also critical dependencies that are reserved to the UK Government. The SSEP will consider all the wider dependencies to inform a coherent spatial plan. Participation as a co-commissioner will ensure Welsh Government can ensure that Welsh policies and perspectives will clearly feed into this process.

The first SSEP will be a GB-wide plan that will map potential locations, quantities and types of electricity and hydrogen generation and storage infrastructure over time. This will be modelled across a range of plausible futures, taking into account public views, environmental considerations and cross-sectoral demands across all types of land and sea. This will include non-agricultural sites in Wales.

The SSEP will not focus on specific projects, leaving the energy market or subsequent processes, including planning at a devolved level for example, to determine specific projects.

The Welsh Government is not providing any funding for the SSEP.