Morocco - UK Power Project: Why Devon?
Our Project needs to connect at the optimal location in terms of transmission capacity and efficiency. We identified North Devon to be this optimal location and now have 3.6GW connection agreements with National Grid to connect here.
The underground 14km cable route – which uses no pylons – has already undergone public consultation. See more on this below.
Consultation work
We have conducted three rounds of consultation, which have been vital to shaping our proposals to date.
Most recently, we carried out a round of consultation from 16 May to 11 July 2024. This was called a ‘statutory public consultation’ because it fulfilled the legal requirement to consult on nationally significant projects. As part of the consultation, we held events in the local area and online, published information about our proposals, and invited feedback from stakeholders and the community.
Thank you to everyone who took part in the consultation. All feedback received has been summarised and responded to in the Consultation Report, which has formed part of our DCO application.
Consultation
Consultation is an important part of the DCO process as it enables the public and stakeholders to comment on the proposals. We have conducted three rounds of consultation, which have been vital to shaping our proposals to date.
Most recently, we carried out a round of consultation from 16 May to 11 July 2024. This was called a ‘statutory public consultation’ because it fulfilled the legal requirement to consult on nationally significant projects. As part of the consultation, we held events in the local area and online, published information about our proposals, and invited feedback from stakeholders and the community.
We are grateful to everyone who took part in the consultation. The feedback we have received will help us to refine our proposals before we submit a DCO application. All feedback received will be summarised and responded to in the Consultation Report, which will form part of our DCO application.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our project needs to connect at the optimal location in terms of transmission capacity and efficiency. This means it can deliver more renewable energy at a lower cost to Britain’s households.
We worked with National Grid to identify the optimal connection site. Agreement has been reached with National Grid for two 1.8GW connections at this site.
We are committed to explore all opportunities to contribute to social and economic development in Devon, including through the tender of work packages during the construction of the project and through the establishment of a community benefit fund.
It is our priority to be a good neighbour to Devon’s communities and natural environment. We aim to deliver a net positive environmental impact for biodiversity.
Finally, our project represents nationally-significant action in line with the principles of the Devon Climate Declaration.
All cables will be installed underground, with land reinstated to its previous use. There will be no permanent infrastructure above-ground along the route.
At the converter station site, the design process will use substantial screening to minimise visual impact.
Post-construction noise will be minimal, with very few moving parts, occasional inspections and maintenance, and a small operational team.
We will seek to minimise disruption to local roads during construction by transporting large, infrequent, converter station components from a local port by road at the lowest point of traffic density. We will use construction haul roads along the underground cable route to remove frequent vehicle movements from the public highway. Additionally, materials will be transported to strategically located compounds adjacent to the A39, A386 and Gammaton Road.
It is important that the Development Consent Order (DCO) application process continues in the context of this UK government update, to enable a fair process where any new information can be considered by interested parties.
As a result, the DCO process, including the Preliminary Meeting and subsequent hearings scheduled for w/c 19 May 2025, is currently paused.
Further information will be published in due course.
Document library
This section includes the documents we published as part of our statutory public consultation, which took place between 16 May and 11 July 2024.
Statutory Consultations
The recordings below are of the webinars we carried out during the statutory public consultation:
Webinar 29 May 2024
Webinar 5 June 2024
Notices
Development Consent Order (DCO) application update:
Last year, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero recognised the elements of the Project in the UK (the ‘Proposed Development’) as nationally significant and requiring development consent under section 35 of the Planning Act 2008. This recognised the major contribution it could make to the country’s need for clean, secure and reliable energy.
The change means we need to apply for a Development Consent Order (DCO) from the Secretary of State to construct and operate the Proposed Development, rather than seeking planning permission from Torridge District Council.
In November 2024, we submitted the DCO application for the UK elements of the Morocco – UK Power Project. We can confirm this has now been accepted by the Planning Inspectorate.
For further information, please see the Planning Inspectorate’s web page by clicking here.