Next steps

We are considering all comments submitted and will review the Project in light of the feedback gathered, engineering and environmental information.

This is all with the aim of developing our final design for the HyNet North West Hydrogen Pipeline - the basis of our DCO application.

The final design will consist of our red line boundary (Draft Order Limits), including HAGIs, BVIs and areas to be used for construction and access. We will aim to remove any optionality.

Once we have developed our final proposals we will submit an application for development consent to the Planning Inspectorate and Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. We expect to submit our application in 2025.

Our application will include:

• A final Consultation Report summarising people’s responses to this consultation and previous consultations. It will include an explanation of how we have taken people’s views into account.
• A final Environmental Statement setting out the environmental considerations for the project and how we propose to mitigate them.

The Planning Inspectorate will examine our proposals and prepare a report for the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. The Secretary of State will then make the final decisions on our application, which we expect mid to late 2026. If our application is successful, we expect to begin construction in 2027 and for construction to take around three years to complete.

The Planning Inspectorate's website can be found at https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/.