The Keadby 3 Carbon Capture Power Station DCO

Keadby 3 is being developed by SSE Thermal and Equinor and could become the UK’s first power station equipped with carbon capture technology by the mid-2020s. SSE has publicly committed to only build power stations with a clear route to decarbonisation. With an electrical output of up to 910MW, Keadby 3 will use natural gas as its fuel and will be fitted with a carbon capture plant to remove the CO₂ from its emissions. The UK Government recently announced its ambition for the UK to become a world-leader in CCS technology, with a target to remove 10MT of CO₂ by 2030. Keadby 3 is expected to offset at least 1.5MT of CO₂ – 15% of the Government’s target.

A key stage in progressing a large scale energy project is to obtain a Development Consent Order (‘DCO’) containing the necessary planning and land powers. The developer must carry out extensive community consultation and technical engagement over a 1-2 year period in order to put together a DCO application that is capable of being accepted for examination by the Planning Inspectorate.

Using our knowledge of the local area DWD wrote an adaptive consultation strategy that provided safe and convenient opportunities for communities to engage. This consultation was ‘distanced’ owing to the pandemic, involving AECOM’s online exhibition tool and online advertising, and traditional methods such as direct mailing and newspaper advertising. We also wrote the Planning Statement demonstrating that the project is supported by relevant policy, and are managing all inputs to the DCO examination and providing compensation advice relating to the land powers in the application.

DWD’s consultation strategy was accepted by the local planning authority and we evidenced the good quality engagement in a comprehensive Consultation Report. DWD also authored the Planning Statement and other key documents, and held a review role on all, working closely across the AECOM led consultant team to ensure that this first of a kind project demonstrated good fit with current and emerging national energy policy and published advice and guidance. The application was accepted by the Planning Inspectorate around 15 months after services were commenced.

The project received a Development Consent Order on 7 December 2022. The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) granted the necessary powers following a positive recommendation from the Planning Inspectorate’s examining authority, who commented that Keadby 3 “represents a considerable commitment to removing barriers to carbon capture, and deploying related infrastructure and would be a significant contribution towards the urgent national need for low carbon electricity generation established in NPS EN-1, carried through in the emerging draft NPS EN-1, and which has become more urgent following the legally binding target of net zero by 2050”. The making of the DCO means Keadby 3 is the first carbon capture equipped power station to be consented in the UK.

(CGI Image credit: Aker Solutions, Doosan Babcock, Siemens Energy and Aker Carbon Capture)