The Secretary of State has now granted development consent for the Morecambe Offshore Wind Farm Transmission Assets Project.
Tetra Tech was responsible for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Information to Support Appropriate Assessment (ISAA), and planning support for the transmission assets, which connects the generation assets located in the eastern Irish Sea to the National Grid.
Morecambe’s transmission assets are comprised of offshore and onshore export cables, and an onshore substation. The offshore export cables will bring electricity generated by the Generation Assets to landfall at Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, for transmission to a new onshore substation and onwards to the existing National Grid substation at Penwortham.
The Tetra Tech team prepared the EIA Scoping Report, the Preliminary Environmental Information Report and Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA) Screening Report, the Environmental Statement, Marine Conservation Zone Assessment, and Water Framework Directive Assessment to support the project’s application for development consent.
Tetra Tech led the EIA and the HRA during the examination phase, providing expertise across both onshore and offshore topics. Working closely with regulators and stakeholders, we responded to representations from organizations including Natural England, the Marine Management Organisation, and local authorities, successfully navigating the project through the Development Consent Order process.
“Achieving consent is a fantastic accomplishment—a huge congratulations to the Morecambe team on reaching this key milestone. We are proud to have closely collaborated with the client team and everyone involved in the project so far over the years,” said Emily King, Senior Associate Director at Tetra Tech.
Holly Cartwright, CEO of COP UK and Ireland said: “We are pleased to receive development consent for the transmission assets for the Morecambe project. The Secretary of State’s decision follows many years of development and engagement with local stakeholders and the community, a commitment we continue to uphold as the project advances. On behalf of the Morecambe team, we look forward to supporting the UK’s Net Zero ambitions and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels by providing a significant new source of reliable, home-grown energy.”
“We want to thank stakeholders and the local community, who have taken part in the independent examination process and who have provided valuable feedback throughout. This has helped us develop and refine our plans to ensure the best possible set of proposals. We are now looking forward to entering the next phase of the project and are committed to keep working closely with communities to ensure this development is brought forward in a way that not only minimizes impacts on those communities but creates genuine lasting benefits.”
