DCO Application

One Earth is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), because it would produce more than 50MW of energy. The Planning Act 2008 sets out the planning process for NSIPs and requires that we apply for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to build, operate and decommission One Earth.

Unlike planning applications which are determined by local authorities, NSIPs are submitted to and decided at the national level. We will submit our DCO application to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS), an independent body that administers the process of reviewing and examining the DCO application on behalf of the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Secretary of State).  An Examining Authority will be appointed to review and examine the DCO application. After examination, the Examining Authority will make a recommendation about whether to approve the project, before a final decision is made by the Secretary of State.

Pre-application Consultation

An important part of the development of an NSIP is consultation before the DCO application is submitted. This ensures that local knowledge is built into the project design at an early stage of development. We held a first stage of consultation in Autumn 2023. We considered the feedback from that consultation alongside the results of ongoing environmental assessments to inform an updated project design. We held a second ‘statutory’ phase of consultation on our updated proposals from 29 May to 23 July 2024 and are currently reviewing the feedback we received. This feedback will help inform the updated proposals that we submit in our DCO application. We encourage individuals and organisations to provide their feedback at each stage of the project’s development.

You can find out more about the planning process for the project by clicking the button below.