Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

The Zero Based Review covered all of RDEL spending which encompassed 75 lines of activity.

The Government is aiming to reach agreement on an outcome that can be implemented later this year which will benefit scheme members.

As at 30 October 2024, there were 222 members of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme in North Durham. Any transfer of the reserve would be used to enhance member benefits.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer given on 11 November to my hon Friend the Member for Edmonton and Winchmore Hill (Kate Osamor) to Question UIN 87351.

DESNZ values the work our Staff Networks do to support and include colleagues. All DESNZ Staff Network events are in line with cross-Government guidance and signed-off by relevant officials. Civil Service Networks operate across the whole of Government. We do not keep a record of Civil Service Network events.

The procurement of nuclear fuel, including uranium and enrichment services, is a commercial matter for reactor operators. The Government works closely with these operators to ensure a secure and resilient supply for the UK fleet but does not routinely collect information relating to any fuel contracts held by UK operators. This information is commercially sensitive, and disclosure would be at the discretion of the operator.

The Government is committed to removing Russian nuclear fuel from UK supply chains by the end of 2028. All current and future reactor operators must comply with UK legal obligations, including any sanctions or trade measures in place against Russia.

As sustainable biomass is a limited resource, the government expects it to be prioritised where there are limited alternatives for decarbonisation. Renewable liquid heating fuels (RLHFs) are also more expensive to use than other heating solutions.

However, the government recognises that RLHFs could play a limited role in decarbonising off-gas grid homes. Before taking decisions on whether to support the use of RLHFs, the government would require stronger evidence on their affordability for consumers, and the availability of sustainable feedstock.

The Government recognises that we need to support households struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power by 2030. This is why we delivered the Warm Home Discount to around 3 million eligible low-income households last winter. On 19 June we announced that we are expanding the Warm Home Discount to around an additional 2.7 million households. This means that from this winter, around 6 million low-income households will receive the £150 support to help with their energy bills.

The government is working to reform EPCs so that they support our key objectives of achieving Clean Power by 2030 and accelerating to Net Zero. The government expects to introduce changes to EPCs metrics in 2026.

The Home Energy Model (HEM) will replace the current Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) as the methodology underpinning EPCs and building regulations, and is planned to be implemented first alongside the Future Homes Standard.

Discussions continue with a view to reaching agreement on an outcome that can be implemented later this year which will benefit scheme members.

I met the Trustees on 12 November 2025 to discuss the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme and the proposed transfer of the reserve.

The Department is engaging with HM Treasury with a view to agreeing a way forward on the transfer of the reserve to members.

The Government is aiming to reach agreement on an outcome that can be implemented later this year which will benefit scheme members.

As at 30 October 2024, there were 3,650 members of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme in Wales. Any transfer of the reserve would be used to enhance member benefits.

The Department is engaging with HM Treasury with a view to agreeing a way forward on the transfer of the reserve to members.

The Government is aiming to reach agreement on an outcome that can be implemented later this year which will benefit scheme members.

As at 30 October 2024, there were 171 members of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme in Nuneaton. Any transfer of the reserve would be used to enhance member benefits.

The UK Government is working closely with the Scottish Government on options for investment in Grangemouth supported by the Office for Investment and Scottish Enterprise. This is backed by £200 million from the National Wealth Fund for co-investment with the private sector, so far we have received over 100 enquiries.

In line with the Clean Energy Jobs Plan, the Grangemouth Training Guarantee will support the transition for refinery workers into in-demand industries including into clean energy sectors and future project at Grangemouth.

The Department for Transport is supporting the UK sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry through the SAF mandate, providing revenue certainty for SAF producers and the £63 million Advanced Fuels Fund available for SAF producers.

Together these measures will give investors confidence to support commercial scale production of SAF in the UK, creating green jobs and developing skills.

We recognise and are aware of the interference that onshore wind turbines can cause to seismological monitoring stations, and the subsequent safeguarding concerns that operators of seismological arrays can have. We are working closely with the Ministry of Defence to bring forward a resolution to this issue, via the Eskdalemuir Working Group. We are clear that the Eskdalemuir Seismic Array is a key piece of defence infrastructure that is part of international monitoring networks and that any updated approach to managing onshore wind deployment near the Array will not compromise its detection capabilities.

Research found that noise complaints from air source heat pumps are rare and heat pumps are perceived as being very quiet (Air source heat pump noise emissions, planning guidance and regulations - GOV.UK).

In 2025 the Government amended the Permitted Development Right for air source heat pumps in England, to give households greater flexibility to install an air source heat pump without needing to submit a planning application, while retaining the sound limit. Subsequently, some installers have reported significant reductions in installations requiring planning applications.

The Government continues to explore how to streamline the planning process for low carbon heating.

The cost of the voluntary exit schemes across the NDA group will vary according to the level of exits mutually agreed between employers and members of staff.

As of 31 December 2023, the total holding of separated civil plutonium in the UK was 140.9 tonnes.

The Office for Nuclear Regulation publishes annual figures on the UK's separated plutonium inventory. The most recently published data can be found at the following link: 2023 annual figures for holdings of civil unirradiated plutonium | Office for Nuclear Regulation

Under the Energy Act 2008, prospective operators of nuclear power stations providing power directly to the grid are required to have a Funded Decommissioning Programme (FDP), making arrangements to cover the full costs of decommissioning and their full share of waste management and disposal costs, approved by the Secretary of State before nuclear-related construction can begin, and to then comply with that programme thereafter.

Based on current proposals for small modular reactors, the government anticipates that waste from such projects would be largely similar in nature to the current operating fleet, with low level waste disposable in existing facilities, while more hazardous waste would be stored pending disposal in a geological disposal facility when it becomes available.

Plutonium is a by-product of nuclear fission, and it is present in small quantities in spent irradiated fuel. However, the quantities would vary based on the fuel and reactor type.

The Office for Nuclear Regulation publishes annual figures on estimated amounts of plutonium contained in spent civil reactor fuel in the UK. The most recently published data can be found at the following link: 2023 annual figures for holdings of civil unirradiated plutonium | Office for Nuclear Regulation

The outcome of the recent Spending Review settlement reflects the government’s recognition of the NDA’s critical role in safeguarding the UK’s nuclear legacy. This funding will enable the NDA to continue to perform its core mission, ensuring safe and secure decommissioning while driving efficiencies and maximising the benefits of working as a group.

The voluntary exit schemes are part of NDA’s commitment to delivering maximum value for public money while maintaining focus on its mission and supporting its people through change. The NDA is actively exploring opportunities to improve how it operates - this includes corporate restructuring, greater sharing of services, and enhanced efficiencies across enabling functions.

The NDA remains committed to supporting communities in each of these areas to build a resilient, inclusive future by investing in skills, wellbeing, infrastructure, and economic diversification that create lasting opportunities beyond decommissioning.

The voluntary exit schemes are part of NDA’s commitment to delivering maximum value for public money while maintaining focus on its mission and supporting its people through change. The NDA is actively exploring opportunities to improve how it operates - this includes corporate restructuring, greater sharing of services, and enhanced efficiencies across enabling functions.

The outcome of the recent SR Settlement reflects the government’s recognition of the NDA’s critical role in safeguarding the UK’s nuclear legacy. This funding ensures safe and secure decommissioning while driving efficiencies and maximising the benefits of working as a group.

The UK is no longer adding to the inventory of separated civil plutonium through reprocessing spent fuel. The Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (THORP) at Sellafield is now closed, having ceased reprocessing operations in November 2018 and the Magnox reprocessing facility ceased reprocessing operations in 2022.

The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) and NDA are directly accountable to Parliament. The information requested is published in Ofgem’s and NDA's annual report and accounts, which are laid before the House and publicly available

Whilst ONR’s government sponsor is DWP, we can confirm that the information requested can be found in ONR’s annual report and accounts, which is laid in Parliament. The first date that their annual report and accounts is available from is 2014-15 as ONR was not made a public corporation until 2013 under the Energy Act of that year.

The next generation of nuclear, including small modular reactors (SMR), offers new possibilities including faster deployment, lower capital costs, and greater flexibility.

Whilst nuclear energy has a unique role to play in delivering stable, low carbon baseload energy, SMRs may be able to serve the electricity grid more flexibly than traditional nuclear, as well as unlock a range of additional applications in energy sectors beyond grid electricity.

The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) and NDA are directly accountable to Parliament. The information requested is published in Ofgem’s and NDA's annual report and accounts, which are laid before the House and publicly available

Whilst ONR’s government sponsor is DWP, we can confirm that the information requested can be found in ONR’s annual report and accounts, which is laid in Parliament. The first date that their annual report and accounts is available from is 2014-15 as ONR was not made a public corporation until 2013 under the Energy Act of that year.

Ministers have asked GBE-N to assess Scotland’s potential for new nuclear power, including around areas that have previously hosted nuclear stations.

New nuclear projects can deliver millions of pounds of investment and thousands of high-quality jobs to a region.

GBE-N will advise UK Ministers on the potential for new nuclear development in Scotland in due course.

UK net territorial CO2 emissions were 603.3 million tonnes in 1990 and provisionally estimated at 290.4 million tonnes in 2024.

Source: DESNZ, provisional 2024 UK net territorial greenhouse gas emissions statistics.

CO2 is calculated in terms of net emissions, which means total emissions minus total removals from the atmosphere. Therefore, it is not possible to report gross CO2 emissions.

Officials continue to engage with the British Hydropower Association regarding the future role of the UK’s remaining small-scale hydropower resource, estimated to be a maximum technical potential of around 1.5GW, in supporting the UK energy system. This includes consideration of opportunities in regions such as the North West.

Furthermore, the Smart Export Guarantee, which came into force on 1 January 2020, requires major electricity suppliers to offer a tariff for electricity exported by small low-carbon generators, including small-scale hydro.

The Net Zero Hydrogen Fund was designed to bring forward the first UK low carbon hydrogen production projects, and was not intended to support other parts of the hydrogen value chain, such as hydrogen carriers. It made its final funding allocations in 2023.

Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers, and other chemical hydrogen storage, is a nascent technology that the Government has previously supported through the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio.

As the Government considers geological storage to be the most strategic value to the hydrogen economy in the near-term, this will be the focus of the Hydrogen Storage Business Model. The Government will however continue to review technological developments and in the long-term, a mix of storage technologies with complementary characteristics may be required to support the development of the hydrogen economy.

The Government continues to support the installation of rooftop solar PV in various ways, for example through the Smart Export Guarantee, which enables households with solar panels to receive payment for excess electricity that is sold back to the grid.

We are investing £13.2bn in the Warm Homes Plan to help households take up measures like solar panels, heat pumps, batteries and insulation.

Additionally, the Government will publish the Future Homes Standard in the coming months which will ensure solar panels are installed on the vast majority of new build homes.

Whilst chemical storage technologies such as liquid organic hydrogen carriers may have a role to play, such as for users with limited access to large-scale storage, there are no plans to include this type of storage in the initial allocation of the storage business model.

The business model focus on large-scale geological storage is because we consider this type of storage essential to establishing the UK’s first regional hydrogen network as it can provide greater storage capacity and best support energy security. This type of storage is unlikely to be built without government support.

Government continues to develop its evidence base on the costs of hydrogen storage and consider the potential role of using hydrogen storage across the hydrogen value chain. The previous Government’s Hydrogen Transport and Storage Cost Report (2023) includes a comparative assessment of the expected levelised cost of above ground and geological storage. The International Energy Agency’s Global Hydrogen Review (2023) includes an assessment of the potential levelised cost of Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers used for international trade.

Applications for Round 10 of the Heat Network Efficiency Scheme closed on 19 September 2025 and are currently being assessed and scored against the scheme’s standard criteria. Details of the outcome of the funding round are expected to be published in Spring 2026.

In August 2023, the government updated its Planning Practice Guidance to encourage battery storage developers to consult Local Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) before submitting applications and for planning authorities to involve FRSs during public consultation. The guidance also advises authorities to refer to National Fire Chiefs Council recommendations. The government has committed to updating planning practice guidance on renewable and low carbon energy development.

The government monitors the safety framework for grid-scale batteries closely. In October, I hosted a roundtable discussion with regulators including the Health and Safety Executive and Environment Agency on the safety framework. My department works closely with regulators through the industry-led Health and Safety Governance Group to ensure that the framework remains robust and future proofed.

The Department occupies GPA and HMRC estate and therefore has not purchased any electric vehicle charging points at its sites or purchased any electric vehicles. Data for arms-length-bodies is not held centrally.

Subregional fuel poverty statistics are normally published annually in April. The date for the next publication in 2026 will be pre-announced in line with the standards for official statistics. These statistics will provide data for 2024 for regions, local authorities, parliamentary constituencies, and Lower Super Output Areas.

Government continues to consider a range of potential hydrogen carriers, including Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers (LOHCs), and their role in the transport, storage and trade of hydrogen. While we cannot comment on the contents of the Hydrogen Strategy ahead of its publication, we welcome further evidence and engagement from stakeholders on the strategic potential of LOHCs.

National Grid Electricity Transmission has now submitted its Development Consent Order application to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration. Government does not comment on the merits of live planning applications, which will be subject to rigorous, independent assessment and advice by the Examining Authority, to inform a final Ministerial decision.

The Department is a customer of the Government Property Agency in its office locations, and does not hold a record of the number of single-sex or gender-neutral bathroom facilities provided there.

The Department is engaging with HM Treasury with a view to agreeing a way forward on the transfer of the reserve to members.

The Government is aiming to reach agreement on an outcome that can be implemented later this year which will benefit scheme members.