Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, in approving Canadian Solar’s application for the Mallard Pass solar power project, of the use of Uyghur slave labour within Canadian Solar’s supply chains.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The reasons for the Secretary of State’s planning decision on the Mallard Pass project are set out in the Decision Letter. Ethical procurement is considered at paragraphs 4.104-109.
The consent requires the applicant to submit a list of suppliers to be made available to the local planning authorities, and to upload their modern slavery and human trafficking statement annually to the Home Office Register to enable monitoring [paragraph 4.105].
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the ecological damage caused by the war in Ukraine, and (2) how that damage contributes to the global ecological crisis; and how they are planning to address this at the upcoming COP 28 in December.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the noble Lord.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether their cost-benefit analyses of wind, solar, nuclear and tidal power take account of (1) the episodic nature of wind and solar power sources, and (2) the short service life of nuclear power facilities and their expensive hazardous waste; and whether their energy policy takes account of the capacity of tidal power stations to provide (a) a sea defence, and (b) a transport link, in addition to the generation of electricity.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Levelised Costs of Electricity for generation technologies are reported in the Generation Costs Report. They compare the lifetime costs for a plant (construction, operating, and decommissioning costs) against the plant's expected lifetime generation. They do not consider site specific benefits or costs.
In 2010, the Government published a review of tidal barrages or lagoons in the Severn Estuary; this considered flood defence and transport links. It concluded there was no strategic case for a publicly funded Severn tidal range project. The Government remains open to considering well-developed proposals for tidal range projects in the bays and estuaries around our coastlines.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any study of the tidal power stations at (1) Shashan in China, and (2) Rance in France, including a comparison of the life span and cost of decommissioning nuclear power stations; whether they are aware of any tidal barrage scheme being decommissioned; and how they assess the longevity of tidal power by comparison to other energy sources.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has not undertaken any specific studies of the Shashan and Rance tidal power stations nor has it commissioned an assessment to compare the life span and costs of decommissioning for tidal and nuclear power stations.
Any proposed tidal range schemes would need to demonstrate strong evidence of value for money in the context of other low-carbon technologies inclusive of life span and costs of decommissioning, as well as details of their associated energy system benefits and environmental impact mitigation strategies before the Government could take a view on their potential or on the funding models appropriate for exploration.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) proposals for constructing a tidal barrage between Cardiff and Weston-super-Mare, and (2) the number of people living further up the estuary who would be protected from sea flooding.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government undertook a detailed review onto the strategic value of a tidal barrage in the Severn which reported in 2010. Due to the significant costs, environmental and economic impacts, the study concluded that there was no strategic case for a publicly-funded Severn Tidal barrage.
The Government remains open to considering well-developed proposals for harnessing the tidal range energy around our coastlines.
The Government has included revised guidance on tidal energy in the energy National Policy Statements which have recently been published for consultation. To be granted planning consent, any project would need to ensure environmental impacts are sufficiently mitigated.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's tidal power prospects; and whether they have plans to meet Dr Robert Kirby, former Senior Visiting Fellow at the National Oceanography Centre, to discuss what contribution tidal barrages could make to the UK's energy security and net-zero goals.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government undertook a detailed review of the strategic value of a tidal barrage in the Severn – The Severn Tidal Power study – which reported in 2010. Due to the significant costs, environmental and economic impacts, the study concluded that there was no strategic case for a publicly-funded Severn Tidal barrage.
The Government remains open to considering well-developed proposals for harnessing tidal range energy, including barrage schemes and other alternatives.
Dr Kirkby may wish to write to my office and set out the issues he would like to explore in discussion.