Project updates

The in-person exhibition was held on Thursday August 11 2022 at Hart Village Hall, while the virtual exhibition ran online on our dedicated project page from Thursday August 11 till Thursday, August 18 2022. The exhibition was well attended and provided opportunities for the project team to interact with residents and other interested parties. Attendees were able to ask questions, provide valuable feedback, review visualisations and other information about the project such as the community benefit fund which the project will provide once developed.

The online exhibition material can be viewed here.

We will be writing to all those who provided comments and those that requested to receive project updates over the coming weeks. Please note that if you returned one of our freepost reply cards and did not tick the ‘keep me updated’ box, we are unable to respond directly due to GDPR legislation.

We will submit a Planning Application to Hartlepool Borough Council in Autumn 2022. When the application is submitted the community will have a formal opportunity to comment on the plans as part of the statutory consultation process.

Located north of the existing Hartmoor National Grid Substation, the site has been selected due to its proximity to Hartmoor National Grid Substation, preventing the need for lengthy transmission cables. 

We are holding a consultation about the project will take place until 18 August 2022 and there will be an in person event on the 11 August 2022 where you are welcome to come along and tal to us about the project, and will enable those interested to find out more and have their say before a planning application is submitted to Hartlepool Borough Council. The consultation will also include a virtual exhibition page for anyone who might not be able to attend on the day and to engage with as much of the community as possible. The link for the virtual exhibition will be live on this web page on the 10 August. Both the in person and virtual exhibition will give you the opportunity to share your views on the project.  Comments and questions will continue to be accepted after 18 August, but early comments allow us to consider these in the next stage of project design, before application submission.

Senior Project Manager Lucy Kent says: "This is a vital project that will help the UK achieve its target of zero carbon emissions by 2050. This new technology will mean GB's energy system will be able to handle increasing amounts of renewable energy without relying on coal and gas fired turbines."

As well as supporting the transition to renewable energy and balancing the grid, the development will also deliver the following benefits:

• Retention of existing trees, hedges and ponds

• Additional landscaping including hedge and tree planting around the site boundaries

• A significant ‘net gain’ (at least 10%) in biodiversity as a result of the landscape scheme and habitat enhancement scheme

• ‘Betterment’ in terms of surface water drainage, in an area which is vulnerable to flooding by storing more surface water on site and releasing slowly into the surrounding environment than at present.

These materials are available by post - request one here or phone 0800 772 0668.