The UK Planning Inspectorate appointed a panel of inspectors, known as an Examining Authority (ExA), to review the application on behalf of the UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The ExA ran the preliminary meeting on 20^th September, with other hearings scheduled to discuss specific issues relating to our proposals

The examination then concluded at 23:59 on 20 March 2023.

Hearings focus on fact-finding without pitting one side against another and, whilst the hearings are important, the examination process is primarily a written one. All documents are  published on the UK Planning Inspectorate’s website (Awel y Môr Offshore Wind Farm | National Infrastructure Planning (planninginspectorate.gov.uk) – please refer to ‘Examination’ header on LHS of ‘Documents’ page)

Below is some information which we hope you will find useful.

The first public hearings into the Awel y Môr project took place on 21st and 22nd September 2022.

These hearings took place at Venue Cymru, Llandudno, and were open to anyone to attend.

An audio recording and notes of the first meetings has been made available on the UK Planning Inspectorate’s project webpage Awel y Môr Offshore Wind Farm | National Infrastructure Planning (planninginspectorate.gov.uk)

Other hearings took place on 7th and 8th of December 2022, on 28 February 2023, and 1 March 2023.

There was also an accompanied site inspection on 6th December 2022.

Topics, and the names of those requested to attend or answer written questions, were published in advance of each hearing on the UK Planning Inspectorate’s website.

‘Interested Parties’ who registered ahead of time, by making a ‘relevant representation’, and statutory bodies, including the relevant regulators, were also invited to contribute.

People who are not registered as Interested Parties are not automatically entitled to participate, but the panel may permit them to do so.

Advice was provided on the registration process in previous newsletters, and you can find out more about involvement in the Examination through the UK Planning Inspectorate’s website.

The UK Planning Inspectorate had six months to carry out its examination of our application for a Development Consent Order (DCO).

Following the conclusion of the examination, the Examining Authority is to send its findings and conclusion, alongside a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero no later than 20 June 2023.

The Secretary of State then has a further three months to make a decision.