Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) including additional reconciliation windows until 2027 and (b) other alternative proposals to the proposed Energy Bill Relief Scheme final reconciliation date of May 2024.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department understands the concerns raised by both industry trade bodies and individual energy suppliers, on the potential impact of the proposed reconciliation date for the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. To that end, the Department has been working closely with the concerned parties to develop a reconciliation proposal for the £7.5 billion scheme, that strikes the right balance of addressing suppliers concerns and protecting public funds, including potentially adding additional reconciliation windows.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the potential (a) merits of introducing a standing charge relief for electric vehicle charge point operators and (b) impact of such a relief on the deployment of electric vehicle charge points in rural areas.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The setting of standing charges associated with tariffs is a commercial matter for suppliers, and suppliers have the flexibility in how they structure their tariffs. Ofgem regulates standing charges, as they do with other elements of billing.
The Government is pleased that Ofgem is considering the issue of standing charges through their recent Call for Input and looks forward to hearing its findings and future proposals. The Government expects bills to be fair and affordable for all consumers (including for electric vehicle charging), that standing charges are kept as low as possible, and that the right costs are recovered.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the deployment of electric vehicle charge points in rural areas.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government wants people across the country to have the opportunity to make the move to electric vehicles wherever they live and work.
Our £381 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund aims to address regional charging inequality and transform the availability of EV charging for drivers. The data-led allocation model to award funding considers the level of rurality with local authorities in rural areas allocated additional funding compared to urban ones.
In addition, the Workplace Charging Scheme supports businesses including charities, small accommodation businesses, public sector organisations, and state-funded education institutions with grants for chargepoints.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Ofgem Targeted Charging Review on the rollout of electric vehicle charge points.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Targeted Charging Review is a matter for Ofgem. The 2019 Targeted Charging Review reviewed network charging arrangements, including the allocation of standing charges.
Ofgem is considering the issue of standing charges through their recent Call for Input and we look forward to hearing its findings and future proposals. We expect bills to be fair and affordable for all consumers (including for electric vehicle charging), that standing charges are kept as low as possible, and that the right costs are recovered.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed Energy Bill Relief Scheme final reconciliation date of May 2024 on the non-domestic energy sector in the (a) medium- and (b) long-term.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department has met with energy suppliers and their trade bodies to develop the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) reconciliation arrangements. To that end, the Department has been working closely with suppliers to develop an evidence base, needed to enact any effective change to the policy that met the concerns of industry whilst also ensuring the return of any public money owed.
Notably, the Department issued a Request for Information (RFI), in March, in order to gather the necessary evidence and data that would inform any effective policy change. Whilst the returns were not as detailed as expected, this did allow the Department to develop an amended approach that struck a balance between industry concerns and the need to return taxpayer funds if owed.
Details of the proposed amended approach have been shared with both industry bodies, the I&C Shippers and Suppliers (ICoSS) and Energy UK, in early May. This was presented to all suppliers and trade bodies at a roundtable chaired by the Department on 22 May.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions her Department has had with industry stakeholders on the proposed Energy Bill Relief Scheme final reconciliation date in May 2024.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department values strong working relationships with both industry trade bodies, and the individual energy suppliers that they represent. The Department hosted a roundtable on 6 March 2024 with energy suppliers and industry bodies to discuss the final reconciliation arrangements of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS).
Since then, taking on board feedback received from suppliers and trade bodies, the Department has shared further details on a proposed revised reconciliation approach with energy suppliers, and in early May officials met with the I&C Shippers and Suppliers (ICoSS) and Energy UK (gas and electricity industry trade bodies) to also share the proposed approach.
A further roundtable with all suppliers and trade bodies was held on 22 May, where officials shared current thinking on the EBRS reconciliation and offboarding approach.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of amending the trial trenching requirements for ground-mounted solar projects (a) to delay trial trenching until after consent has been granted and (b) in other ways.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Planning guidance on assessing potential impacts of large-scale solar projects on the historic environment is set out in the recently published Energy National Policy Statements. In most cases, applicants are required to seek expert assessment. Where assessments include investigative work, such as trial trenching, this should be proportionate.
Conducting this work during the pre-application planning phase enables developers to take into account findings and, if necessary, mitigate impacts by adapting project design at an early stage. It provides a robust evidence base to support decision making, helping to avoid delays after applications have been submitted or post consent.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to ensure trial trenching requirements for ground-mounted solar farms are proportionate to the amount of land disturbed through their construction and operation.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As set out in the updated Energy National Policy Statements, the extent of investigative work to assess potential impacts of ground mount solar projects on the historic environment, including trial trenching, should be proportionate to the sensitivity of, and extent of, proposed ground disturbance in the associated study area.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of trial trenching requirements on (a) costs for solar project developers and (b) investment in ground-mounted solar projects.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Planning consents will set requirements for pre-construction archaeological surveys where appropriate, and techniques used may include trial trenching. The most appropriate technique is likely to depend on the specific circumstances in each case.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the average annual tonnage of wood imported for burning in (a) industrial and (b) domestic settings; which (i) countries and (ii) sites in those countries that wood is imported from; and how many tonnes on average comes from each of those countries each year.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Figures on the amount of imported wood and waste wood by country is published in The Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) Table 6.6, but information on sites is not collected. Imports of waste wood are used in the industrial, commercial and agricultural sectors and all imports of wood are burnt in the domestic sector; of the 2,319 thousand tonnes of wood consumed in the domestic sector in 2022, 198 thousand tonnes were imported.