Asked by: Baroness Worthington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential to electrify short-haul flights and short-distance marine travel as part of a roadmap to reach net zero emissions; and to publish any such assessment.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is supporting the development of electric aircraft through £125 million of funding to the Future Flight Challenge. The Jet Zero Council, announced in June, will bring together DfT and BEIS Secretaries of State and CEO-level stakeholders to drive high ambition in the delivery of new technologies and innovative ways to cut aviation emissions.
The potential electrification of maritime routes and use of shore power alongside to reduce emissions was assessed as part of the Department’s work to develop the Clean Maritime Plan published in Summer 2019. The research supporting the plan, including detailed consideration of the use of electrical power, has been published on gov.uk.
Asked by: Baroness Worthington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to electrify railways as part of a roadmap to reach net zero emissions; and when they will publish any such plans, including any anticipated timetable.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Electrification will play a significant role in our programme to decarbonise the railway. Network Rail’s ongoing work developing the Transport Decarbonisation Network Strategy will inform decisions about whether electrification or alternative technologies are the most appropriate option for each part of the network where diesel trains currently run. This work will support the Department’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan, which will be published at the end of this year.
Asked by: Baroness Worthington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential to install overhead cabling on highways for heavy goods vehicles as part of a roadmap to reach net zero emissions; and what plans they have to publish any such assessment.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department is working with the Connected Places Catapult to explore and assess the zero emission technologies most suitable for heavy goods vehicles on the UK road network, including overhead cabling on highways. This work will consider the need for mass demonstration projects and the outputs will feed into the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, expected to be published by the end of this year.