Preliminary Environmental Information Report- Non-Technical Summary
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Preliminary Environmental Information Report Volume IV – Non-Technical Summary The Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 (as amended) Prepared for: Net Zero Teesside Power Ltd. & Net Zero North Sea Storage Ltd. This page has been left intentionally blank. Prepared for: Net Zero Teesside Power Ltd. & Net Zero North Sea Storage Ltd. | Table of Contents 1. Non-Technical Summary ........................................................3 1.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 3 1.2 The Applicant ................................................................................................... 6 1.3 The Development Consent Order .................................................................... 6 2. Assessment Methodology ......................................................7 2.1 EIA Methodology ............................................................................................. 7 2.2 EIA Scoping (Selection of Environmental Topics to be assessed) ................... 7 2.3 Consultation..................................................................................................... 9 2.4 PEI Report Structure ....................................................................................... 9 3. Proposed Development .......................................................10 4. Description of the Existing Environment ...............................17 4.1 The Site Details ............................................................................................. 17 4.2 The Surrounding Area ................................................................................... 18 4.3 Potential Sensitive Receptors ........................................................................ 19 5. Construction Programme and Management .........................22 6. Need, Alternatives and Design Evolution ..............................23 7. Summary of Environmental Effects ......................................24 7.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 24 7.2 Air Quality ...................................................................................................... 24 7.3 Surface Water, Flood Risk and Water Resources .......................................... 26 7.4 Geology, Hydrogeology and Contaminated Land .......................................... 28 7.5 Noise and Vibration ....................................................................................... 30 7.6 Terrestrial Ecology and Nature Conservation ................................................ 31 7.7 Aquatic Ecology ............................................................................................. 32 7.8 Marine Ecology and Nature Conservation ..................................................... 34 7.9 Ornithology .................................................................................................... 35 7.10 Traffic and Transport ...................................................................................... 37 7.11 Landscape and Visual Amenity ...................................................................... 38 7.12 Cultural Heritage ............................................................................................ 40 7.13 Marine Heritage ............................................................................................. 41 7.14 Socio-economics and Tourism ....................................................................... 41 7.15 Climate Change ............................................................................................. 42 7.16 Major Accidents and Natural Disasters .......................................................... 44 7.17 Population and Human Health ....................................................................... 45 7.18 Cumulative and Combined Effects ................................................................ 46 Prepared for: Net Zero Teesside Power Ltd. & Net Zero North Sea Storage Ltd. 8. Summary and Conclusions ..................................................47 Diagrams Diagram NTS 1.1: The Proposed NZT Project ........................................................... 3 Diagram NTS 1.2: Offshore Elements of the NZT Project .......................................... 4 Diagram NTS 1.3: Site Location Plan ......................................................................... 5 Diagram NTS 1.4: Site Boundary and PCC ...............................................................11 Diagram NTS 1.5: CO2 Export Pipeline .................................................................... 12 Diagram NTS 1.6: Natural Gas Connection Corridor ................................................ 13 Diagram NTS 1.7: Electrical Connection Corridor .................................................... 14 Diagram NTS 1.8: Water Abstraction and Discharge Corridor .................................. 15 Diagram NTS 1.9: CO2 Gathering Network Corridor ................................................ 16 Diagram NTS 1.10: ZTV and representative viewpoints ........................................... 39 Prepared for: Net Zero Teesside Power Ltd. & Net Zero North Sea Storage Ltd. 1. Non-Technical Summary 1.1 Introduction 1.1.1 This is a Non-Technical Summary (NTS) of the Preliminary Environmental Information (PEI) Report that has been prepared in support of a future Development Consent Order (DCO) Application for the construction and operation of the on-shore elements of the Net Zero Teesside project (NZT) in Teesside. 1.1.2 NZT will be the UK’s first commercial scale, full chain Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS) project, and has the potential to capture up to 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per annum, the equivalent to the annual energy use of up to 3 million homes in the UK. The NZT project will therefore make a significant contribution toward the UK reaching its net zero greenhouse gas emissions target by 2050. 1.1.3 The Proposed Development comprises the construction and operation (including maintenance) of a gas-fired power station with a net electrical output of up to 2.1 GW together with equipment required for the capture and compression of carbon dioxide emissions from the power station. The Proposed Development also includes the provision of supporting infrastructure and connections to facilitate the Proposed Development and to develop a wider industrial carbon capture network in Teesside and high- pressure compression of gathered CO2 for export off-shore for permanent storage (see Diagram 1.1). Diagram NTS 1.1: The Proposed NZT Project Prepared for: Net Zero Teesside Power Ltd. & Net Zero North Sea Storage Ltd. 3 1.1.4 The offshore elements, including the off-shore portion of the CO2 export Pipeline, the CO2 store itself and CO2 injection wells into the store and the associated off-shore infrastructure (Diagram 1.2) do not form part of the Proposed Development and will be consented separately. Diagram NTS 1.2: Offshore Elements of the NZT Project 1.1.5 Whilst the Proposed Development is designed for the future collection and sequestration of CO2 from third-party industrial emitters on Teesside, the capture of these emissions will not form part of the DCO application and is not considered in this PEI Report. Third-party connections to the wider carbon capture network will be the subject of separate consent applications. 1.1.6 The proposed DCO Application site (‘the Site’) covers a wide area located within the administrative boundaries of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council (RCBC) to the south of the River Tees (South Bank and Dormanstown Wards) and in Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (STBC) to the north of the River Tees (Billingham South Ward). A portion of the Site to the South of the Tees lies within the South Tees Development Corporation (STDC) masterplan site. 1.1.7 The final Site boundary for the purposes of the DCO application, including land for the connection corridors and temporary land required during construction of the Proposed Development, will be refined through on-going studies and taking into account the responses to the statutory consultation. 1.1.8 The proposed Site Location is shown on Diagram 1.3: Site Location Plan. Prepared for: Net Zero Teesside Power Ltd. & Net Zero North Sea Storage Ltd. 4 Diagram NTS 1.3: Site Location Plan 1.1.9 The purpose of this NTS is to describe the Proposed Development and provide a summary in non-technical language of the key findings of the PEI Report. 1.1.10 The PEI Report has been prepared to comply with the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 (as amended) (‘the EIA Regulations’). Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a systematic process used to predict the adverse and beneficial effects of a proposed development. An Environmental Statement (ES) will be submitted with the DCO Application for the Proposed Development. 1.1.11 The PEI Report presents: · a description of the Proposed Development including information on the Site and the design, size and other relevant features; · information on the reasonable alternative sites, technologies and layouts that have been considered and the main reasons for the options chosen; · an assessment of the likely significant environmental effects of the construction, operation (including maintenance) and eventual decommissioning of the Proposed Development based on the preliminary environmental information