Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in relation to recent spending by Great British Energy on solar panels for use by schools and hospitals, what assessment they have made of the merits of (1) sourcing solar panels from manufacturers outside China, and (2) spending money from this scheme on creating solar panel manufacturing capacity in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
For solar projects, the Department for Education (DfE), the Department for Health & Social Care (DHSC) and their partners are procuring the solar panels in line with strict procurement controls. While these panels could come from anywhere in the world, we know that around 95% of global polysilicon, ingot and wafer production, required for the manufacture of solar panels, happens in China [1].
Whilst China has a long-established strong position in conventional solar, there are emerging opportunities in solar supply chains which the UK can capture by leaning into our strengths as a scientific and innovation superpower. Alongside Great British Energy delivering over £200m investment for local and community energy, we have several other pioneering companies developing the next generation of cutting-edge solar technologies, including perovskite and thin film. In the Solar Roadmap, we have committed to consider the case to further support companies looking to scale up the production of these parts – so that UK companies don’t just generate innovative ideas but build them as well.
[1]Based on previous estimates from the International Energy Agency (IEA): https://www.iea.org/reports/solar-pv-global-supply-chains/
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 steps they have taken to ensure that Chinese-made solar panels purchased by Great British Energy for use in UK schools and hospitals have not been manufactured by slave labour; whether these purchases conform with section 3(2)(e) of Great British Energy Act 2025; and who is responsible for assessing this.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
There are strict procurement controls in place for schools and hospitals to ensure as far as possible any solar panels are free from forced labour.
This includes the Procurement Act which will enable contracting authorities to reject bids and terminate contracts with suppliers which have previously committed an offence under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, or where there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the supplier has engaged in this conduct.
We take this issue extremely seriously and will also be placing reporting commitments around the procurement process on panels as part of the funding agreements.
Through Great British Energy we will help build the supply chains needed to support a new era of clean homegrown power, bringing jobs and investment.
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 the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero raised the use of Uyghur slave labour in the manufacture of solar panels and in other forms of green technology during his recent visit to China, and, if so, what response he received.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
This Government continues to stand firm on the issue of human rights in China, including relating to forced labour. The recent visit by the Secretary of State gave the opportunity to discuss issues that matter to the UK with senior levels of the Chinese government, including areas where we disagree.
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 the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero raised the use of Congolese child labour in the mining of minerals used in green technologies exported to the United Kingdom during his recent visit to China, and if so, what response he received.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
My department is committed to working closely across Government and industry stakeholders to take forward the actions needed to develop supply chains that are resilient, sustainable, innovative and free from forced labour.
The Secretary of State's recent visit to China gave the opportunity to discuss issues that matter to the UK with senior levels of the Chinese government, including areas where we disagree.
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 risks to UK national security and to resilience of the role and involvement of Mingyang Smart Energy Green Vault North Sea Wind Farm Project.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
I refer the noble Lord to the answer given on 12 February by my hon Friend the Minister for Climate (Kerry McCarthy) to the hon Member for Edinburgh West (Christine Jardine).
We cannot comment on individual investment cases, but investment into the energy sector is subject to the highest levels of national security scrutiny, and we will continue to work closely with industry to build secure supply chains and ensure the UK remains one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world.
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 is their estimate of the number and cost of solar panels which have been purchased from China over the past ten years; how many solar panels they expect will be purchased (1) over the next ten years and (2) to meet to objectives of the Great British Energy Bill; and what is the estimated expenditure for each of these periods.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
The Government recently set out its Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, which requires significant deployment of solar electricity. Developing sustainable, diverse and resilient solar supply chains, free from forced labour, is an absolute priority for this Government and the solar industry.
The Government does not hold data on the supply chains of individual businesses and therefore cannot provide details of overall expenditure or quantities of Chinese imports of solar panels. As Great British Energy will be operationally independent, it will be for the company to determine the projects and technologies it chooses to invest in, in accordance with its objectives.
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 increase in the number of whistleblowing complaints in respect of the Drax power station, from 14 in 2022 to 49 in 2023.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
The Government takes reports of complaints very seriously. Compliance with biomass sustainability criteria is a priority and Ofgem as the independent regulator is responsible for ensuring generators’ compliance. Ofgem’s recent investigation found that whilst Drax complied with sustainability standards, it had failed to report data accurately. This is a serious matter and the Government expects full compliance with all regulatory obligations. Drax’s subsequent £25 million redress payment underscores the robustness of the regulatory system.
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
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.