Steel Sector

Baroness O'Grady of Upper Holloway Excerpts

Thursday 23rd April 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Stockwood (Lab)]

Energy supply and the sovereignty of our energy supply remain critical. All departments are currently looking at measures where we need to intervene in the near term to protect those industries with high energy demands, and to come up with the right practical solutions for the long term, which is our transition to renewables. That is a live conversation. We have had many meetings in the past week, and I think we will hear something in the coming days.

[Baroness O’Grady of Upper Holloway (Lab)]

My Lords, both sides of the steel industry have welcomed government plans to speed up grid connections and make it easier for developers to build their own grid connections. All that will help to boost investment. Will my noble friend the Minister commit to regular updates on progress on those commitments so that we know that it is happening? Will he join me in congratulating the “Save our Steel” campaign for defending jobs and the progress it has made so far?

[Lord Stockwood (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for her question. The issue of grid connections partly sits in my department; the House might be interested to know that we have 800 gigawatts of demand in new projects to 60 gigawatts of supply. Grid connections and making sure that the grid is fit for the future will be a massive part of what we do. We also have a prioritisation process that helps prioritise the highest value projects, not just economically but socially. I would be happy to update the House on that.

As to the “Save our Steel” campaign, it is worth stating that the steel factory in Scunthorpe is close to where I grew up and I have many friends who work in the industry. I commend that organisation and the work that it does in ensuring that we do not lose sight of the fact this is not just an economic story for the UK but about real lives and communities. The work it has done has been excellent.