Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ban fracking in the UK.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Dissolution. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the environmental impact of Cuadrilla’s latest drilling programme in north west England.
Answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Dissolution. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the issues Cuadrilla Resources has faced whilst fracking near Blackpool; and whether they consider the UK fracking industry to be commercially viable.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Government is reassured that our regulatory regime for shale gas is working as intended. The industry is at the very early stages of exploration and we do not yet know how much of the UK’s shale resources can be extracted technically or economically and what the contribution to the UK economy could be.
We will continue to support responsible companies, working within our robust regulatory regime, who are prepared to invest in this industry as they proceed with the exploration process, to test the size and value of the potential reserves.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to alter the current rules and regulations regarding permitted seismicity levels during fracking operations in the UK.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Traffic Light System for monitoring induced seismicity was introduced after consideration of advice from three scientists, following operations at Cuadrilla’s Preese Hall site in 2011. The level of magnitude 0.5 at which operators must pause operations, was set in consultation with industry as an appropriate precautionary measure. There are no plans to review the traffic light system.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of recent earthquakes in Lancashire being caused by fracking.
Answered by Lord Henley
The independent oil and gas regulator, the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), is responsible for ensuring operators mitigate the risk of induced seismicity. The OGA is continually monitoring operations around the Preston New Road site to ensure they remain in line with Cuadrilla’s Hydraulic Fracture Plan, which was independently approved by the OGA and Environment Agency before the commencement of hydraulic fracturing operations.
We are absolutely committed to exploring shale gas extraction in a safe and science-led way. The Traffic Light System, which dictates the required response to seismic activity, has worked at the Preston New Road site in exactly the way that it was designed to. The very minor seismic events recorded at the Preston New Road site cannot be felt at the surface.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the Prime Minister’s Mansion House speech on 2 March, what assessment they have made of associate membership of EURATOM.
Answered by Lord Henley
In the Written Ministerial Statement on 11 January 2018, my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy stated that a close and effective association with Euratom will be sought as part of phase 2 of the exit negotiations with the European Union, and set out the UK’s specific objectives in this regard.
The Euratom Treaty does not provide for “associate membership” but does provide the Euratom Community with a number of powers to enter into legally binding agreements with third countries.
The Committee stage debate of the Nuclear Safeguards Bill held on 22 February 2018, (Official Report Vol 789, Col 301) provides the Government’s assessment of the relevant provisions in the Euratom Treaty.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to extending the existing renewable energy subsidy for offshore wind beyond October.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Renewables Obligation (RO) scheme closed to most new projects on 31 March 2017. Floating and demonstration offshore wind projects in Scotland have a grace period until 30 September 2018 to accredit under the scheme. Developers have known about this grace period since it was announced by the Scottish Government in 2013. The expiry dates are set out in legislation and we do not intend to extend them.
The RO is being replaced by the competitive 'Contracts for Difference' (CFD) support scheme. Innovative offshore wind projects are eligible to compete in the next CFD auction, planned for spring 2019. The scheme incentivises developers and the supply chain to innovate and continuously bear down on costs. This will allow the UK to produce more renewable energy at a significantly lower cost for consumers.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what they estimate will be the components of the UK’s energy mix in (1) 2030, and (2) 2050.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Climate Change Act requires the UK to reduce it emissions by at least 80% by 2050 and the recently set fifth carbon budget requires us to reduce our emissions in 2032 by 57%.
Meeting these targets will require changes to the UK’s energy mix and other sectors. The Clean Growth Strategy sets out one possible pathway to meeting our fifth carbon budget, and three illustrative pathways to 2050.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what role they see for small modular reactors in the UK’s future energy mix.
Answered by Lord Henley
Nuclear power currently meets c. 20% of the UK electricity demand and is an important part of the UK’s energy mix. Government has made clear its commitment that new nuclear power stations should have a role to play in this country’s future energy mix, alongside other low-carbon sources.
My hon. Friend the Under Secretary of State for Energy and Industry announced at the Nuclear Industry Association conference on 7th December that up to £56m is being made available over the next 3 years for advanced nuclear technologies. This will include up to £44m R&D funding for developing advanced reactors and £12m to regulators to build the capability and capacity to assess and license new designs.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to introduce a dedicated body with responsibility for scrutinising those foreign investments which may impact on national security.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
The Government published a Green Paper, ‘National Security and Infrastructure Investment Review’, on Tuesday 17 October setting out its review of current powers and how these might be amended in the short, and long, term to ensure national security is protected. The Government welcomes respondents’ views on its proposals and options for reform.
The Green Paper is available on Gov.uk and in the Libraries of the House.