Weekly highlights

Weekly highlights

The Lexis®+ UK Environment team produce a weekly roundup of key current awareness and legal updates. Given the frequency and volume of new law and policy that arises

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Latest Environment News

NSTA awards UK's first carbon storage licence to Northern Endurance Partnership

The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has awarded the UK's first carbon storage licence to the Northern Endurance Partnership for its Endurance site located off the Teesside coast. This licence will enable carbon dioxide injection to commence in 2027, with an annual capacity of 4 million tonnes and a total storage potential of 100 million tonnes over 25 years. Alongside this, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has issued an economic licence to Net Zero North Sea Storage Limited, a joint venture between bp, Equinor, and TotalEnergies.

DESNZ signs contracts for UK’s first CCUS projects in Teesside

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has announced the signing of contracts for the UK's first carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) projects in Teesside. Construction of the East Coast Cluster project is scheduled to commence in mid-2025, supported by a £21.7bn government funding commitment announced in October 2024. The agreements will unlock £4bn worth of contracts to be awarded by East Coast Cluster projects to supply chains. In addition, the Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC) has signed the Dispatchable Power Agreement (DPA) contract, positioning itself as the contractual private law counterparty and settlement body to the DPA Net Zero Teeside Power project, while also overseeing the Revenue Support Agreement (RSA) to mitigate financial risks for carbon dioxide transport and storage companies.

Welsh Government announces Senedd votes to ban single-use vapes

The Welsh Government has announced that the Senedd has voted to introduce the Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (Wales) Regulations 2024. These regulations, set to come into force on 1 June 2025, will prohibit the supply, including the free distribution, of single-use vapes in Wales.

Defra publishes preview guidance for CSHT scheme

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published preview guidance for the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) scheme, outlining preparatory steps for potential applicants and providing information on available funding. This document serves as a precursor to the full CSHT scheme guidance, which is expected to be published before applications open in summer 2025. Defra has also published draft terms and conditions for the scheme, along with details on CSHT actions and new capital items. Additionally, a new form for applicants applying for the CSHT supplement CSP9: Support for threatened species, has been published, with Defra emphasising that applicants must complete this form in collaboration with their Natural England adviser or Forestry Commission woodland officer.