The development process

As the project generates over 50MW of electricity, this means that it is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP).

Planning

The development consenting regime for an NSIP comes under the Planning Act 2008. This means we need to apply for a DCO to build Fosse Green Energy. This has been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate rather than the local planning authority, North Kesteven District Council.

In the case of energy-related development the Planning Inspectorate acts on behalf of the Secretary of State at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. It will carry out an examination of our proposals and then make a recommendation to the Secretary of State on whether or not to grant consent for the development.

The Secretary of State for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will make the final decision on whether to grant consent for the project.

We anticipate that the development process from start, through DCO submission, examination and then decision will take between two to three years. We intend to submit our proposals to the Planning Inspectorate by autumn 2025.

Current Stage

We submitted our proposals to the Planning Inspectorate in Summer 2025. The Planning Inspectorate has now accepted our application for examination.

This begins the Pre-Examination period, in which you will have the opportunity to register as an ‘Interested Party’ and submit a Relevant Representation. Following this will be the examination period.

This process is led by the Planning Inspectorate, rather than by the Fosse Green project. To ensure you are kept up to date, we would recommend registering for updates on the Planning Inspectorate’s website here: https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN010154/get-updates/start

Summary of Consultation

Below is a summary of the consultation we undertook on the application before we submitted our DCO application:

Stage One Consultation – 11 September to 20 October 2023

The first stage of consultation we held in Autumn 2023 was non-statutory. While not formally required, it was intended to give local communities an opportunity to influence the proposed development from an early stage to gain a better understanding of what we are proposing, the potential benefits and its potential impacts.

As part of this consultation, we introduced Fosse Green Energy and the overall project, shared our early-stage proposals and gave individuals and interested parties the opportunity to have their say and share their views and local knowledge.

Stage Two Consultation – 21 October to 2 December 2024

Further to developing more detailed proposals for the project, we carried out a second stage of consultation in Autumn 2024. This was a statutory stage of consultation required by the application process for NSIPs.

All the comments submitted to this consultation have been recorded and were used to inform and shape our proposals. We have reviewed our proposals in line with the feedback and suggestions we have received and produced a Consultation Report detailing the consultation process and regard had to feedback.

You can view a timeline of the development process for Fosse Green Energy below: