Morven Hawthorn Pit Grid Connection Project

The Morven Hawthorn Pit Grid Connection Project consists of onshore and offshore infrastructure associated with the transmission of electricity generated by either Morven North or Morven South to the national grid.

It includes underwater offshore and underground onshore electricity cables and a land substation.

Two people discussing a large map on a table indoors

The Secretary of State for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has directed that the offshore and onshore elements of the Morven Hawthorn Pit Grid Connection Project that are within England should be consented via a Development Consent Order (DCO) under the Planning Act 2008.

For the section of the Morven Hawthorn Pit Grid Connection Project within Scottish waters, we will apply to the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate for a Marine Licence under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009.

2026 Consultation and DCO application

We’ll hold a further round of consultation in 2026 where we’ll consult on our updated proposals and our Preliminary Environmental Information Report. Following this, we'll consider all feedback and further refine our proposals before submitting our application for development consent.

2024

Consultation 1

2025

Consultation 2

EIA Scoping Opinions received from the Planning Inspectorate and MD-LOT March 2025

Evidence Plan Process initiated September 2025

July- August 2026 Evidence Plan Process meetings

September / October 2026

Consultation period 3

Activity to date

We’ve held two rounds of non-statutory consultation on our proposals for the Morven Hawthorn Pit Grid Connection Project.

Between July and September 2024, we held a non-statutory consultation on broad corridors of search for where our offshore and onshore infrastructure within England could be located. We considered all feedback, undertook further technical studies and engaged with stakeholders to identify potential options for the offshore cable corridor, cable landfall, onshore cable corridor and land substation.

We then held a second round of non-statutory consultation on these options between October and November 2025. We are currently considering all feedback received and will continue engaging with stakeholders as we develop our proposals.

We plan to hold a further round of consultation in 2026 before submitting our DCO application.

We have established an Evidence Plan Process with 12 organisations and 11 groups -one Steering Group and 10 Expert Working Groups. These groups meet to discuss and agree technical aspects relating to the Morven Hawthorn Pit Grid Connection Project’s Environmental Impact Assessment; Habitats Regulation Assessment and Marine Protected Area/ Marine Conservation Zone Assessment. Evidence Plan Process groups meet on ongoing basis at key milestones to ensure feedback can be incorporated prior to DCO application.

You can view and download our consultation documents from the 2024 and 2025 consultations in the information hub below.

Programme Document

Our programme document outlines our intended activities and timescales for the pre-application stage of the Morven Hawthorn Pit Grid Connection Project DCO application. We will update this document as we progress through the pre-application stage and upload the latest version to the information hub.

Morven Hawthorn Pit Grid Connection Project