Current status
DBS is in a period called 'examination' which will be followed by, 'recommendation' and 'decision'.
Current status:
The Preliminary Meeting for the DBS projects concluded on 14 January 2025, marking the official start of the six-month Development Consent Order examination period.
During the examination phase, Interested Parties are invited to provide more details about their views at hearings, the dates of which are set at the end of the pre-examination period.
The Examining Authority considers all important and relevant matters including the Representations of all Interested Parties, any supporting evidence submitted, and answers provided to the Examining Authority’s questions set out in writing or posed at hearings.
Details about the Preliminary Meeting, Compulsory Acquisition, and the first two Issue Specific Hearings can be found in the Notice of Hearings. Recordings of the Preliminary Meeting and subsequent hearings will be available on the Planning Inspectorate website shortly after the meetings close.
Proposed design changes
We have considered stakeholder feedback received immediately prior to submission of the Development Consent Order and since submission through the Relevant Representation process.
Ongoing design work, combined with the feedback received and a firm grid connection offer, has enabled the team to reduce the footprint of the two proposed onshore converter stations and to reduce and even remove aspects of the proposed offshore infrastructure that are no longer required.
Although the changes are broadly beneficial, they are not significant enough to alter the outcomes of all but one of the offshore environmental assessments, where the impact has been reduced. The effects detailed in the Environmental Statement submitted with the original application, therefore, remain largely unchanged.
Non-statutory consultation relating to these changes took place between 15 November 2024 00:00 and 16 December 2024 23:59.
Formal Requests for Change were submitted to the Examining Authority on 10 January 2025 and they will consider whether to accept the proposed changes into the examination.
The interactive map and ‘Story so far’ web pages will be updated with changes that are accepted into the examination process in early 2025.
Information about the application, the hearings and how to get involved is set out on the PINS Planning Inspectorate website.
Planning Inspectorate websiteRecommendation and decision:
The Planning Inspectorate prepares a report about the application for the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. This report will include a recommendation and will be submitted within three months of the close of the examination. The Secretary of State then has a further three months to make the decision on whether to grant or refuse development consent.
Post decision:
Once a decision has been made and published, there is a six-week period in which the decision may be challenged in the High Court. This process of legal challenge is known as Judicial Review.
Other pages you might be interested in
The story so far...
The DBS projects have been through a detailed development phase
About RWE and Masdar
In February 2024, RWE and Masdar joined forces to deliver DBS.
Keep in touch
Get in touch and ask questions with our project team