4.1.1 The purpose of this chapter is to provide a more detailed description of the EIA process, as well as outlining the methodology and relevant guidance used to undertake the preliminary EIA and the structure of the remainder of this PEIR.
4.2.1 The Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2009 (the ‘EIA Regulations’) require an EIA to be carried out in respect of any development listed in Schedule 1 to the EIA Regulations (‘Schedule 1 development’). The Project is a Schedule 1 development as it is a thermal generating station with a heat output1 of 300 MW or more as listed in Schedule 1, paragraph 2(1) of the EIA Regulations.
4.2.2 The Project falls under the EIA Regulations and not the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 (EIA Regulations 2017). This is because a scoping opinion was requested from the Secretary of State under the EIA Regulations before the commencement of the EIA Regulations 2017. This means that, in accordance with the transitional arrangements at Regulation 37 of the EIA Regulations 2017, the EIA Regulations will continue to apply to the Project.
4.2.3 The information to be included in an ES is set out in Schedule 4 of the EIA Regulations. Part 1 of the Schedule details the information that the applicant can reasonably be required to provide, whilst Part 2 identifies the information that the applicant must provide. This information is highlighted in Table 4-1 below, which also provides confirmation of where the information is provided within this PEIR.
Table 4-1: Compliance with EIA Regulations
| Required Content of Environmental Statements | Relevant Chapter of this ES |
|---|---|
| Part 1 | |
| 1. Description of the development, including in particular (a) a description of the physical characteristics of the whole development and the land-use requirements during the construction and operational phases; | Chapter 3: Project Site and Description |
| (b) a description of the main characteristics of the production processes, for instance, nature and quantity of the materials used; | Chapter 3: Project Site and Description |
| (c) an estimate, by type and quantity, of expected residues and emissions (water, air and soil pollution, noise, vibration, light, | Detail provided in Technical Chapters 6 - |
1 Thermal output is commonly defined as the amount of ‘useable heat’ which is produced as part of the process of the combustion of fuel. Only a part of this useable heat can be converted to electrical energy, which is why this is a larger value than electrical output.