Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the steel used in the UK manufacturing industry was produced (1) in the UK, (2) in the EU, and (3) in the rest of the world, in the last year for which figures are available.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We are unable to identify the country of origin for steel used in the UK manufacturing industry specifically.
In 2020, the UK consumed 9.0mt of finished steel (World Steel Association report, copy attached). According to the International Steel Statistics Bureau, 50% was sourced from UK producers. The remaining 50% was imported from foreign producers. Based on import data, we estimate the following proportions for the regions below:
According to the Future Capacities and Capabilities of the UK Steel Industry (attached), c.20% of the demand for finished steel products in 2015 was for manufacturing (defined as automotive, machinery & engineering, and packaging).
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy towards the construction of small modular reactors at the nuclear sites at (1) Trawsfynydd, and (2) Wylfa.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government notes growing local and regional interest in a number of sites for further nuclear development, including at Trawsfynydd and Wylfa. A new National Policy Statement for nuclear electricity generation infrastructure deployable after 2025 will be developed to reflect the changing policy and technology landscape for nuclear and support the transition to net zero. This will be consulted on in the usual manner, in due course.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reconsider the proposal for building a Severn Barrage to generate electricity from a renewable source; and what plans they have to discuss this with the Welsh Government.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government remains open to considering well-developed proposals for tidal range projects in British bays and estuaries, provided that such proposals can demonstrate energy system benefits, plausible environmental impact mitigation strategies, and value for money in the context of other forms of low carbon generation. The Government engages regularly with the Welsh Government on matters of common interest.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the UK's energy needs are currently being met from the UK's own resources; and what proportion of this is dependent on the importing of (1) oil, and (2) gas, from overseas suppliers.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The most recent data (Energy Trends, December 2021) for the 9 months to September 2021 shows 60.4 per cent of our energy needs was met from indigenous production. Of the remaining 37.4 per cent (with stock changes accounting for the residual difference), 20 per cent of our net imports was for primary oil and oil products and 64 per cent for gas. The vast majority of our gas imports came from reliable suppliers such as Norway.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with those in charge of laboratories in Oxford who are working on the generation of electricity from nuclear fusion; and what resources they are making available to accelerate this research and its practical application.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government works closely with the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), the UK’s fusion research organisation based in Oxfordshire. UKAEA is widely recognised as a global leader in fusion R&D and is critical to the delivery of the UK’s Fusion Strategy, which was published last year. Since 2017 the Government has committed around £500m towards new UKAEA research programmes and facilities and will continue to support fusion research over the new Spending Review period with £708m allocated to UKAEA within the Government’s £39.8bn R&D budget for 2022-2025. This will help to keep the UK in pole position to commercialise fusion energy, which would be low-carbon, sustainable and secure.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money they (1) allocated, and (2) spent, in the financial years (a) 2018–19, (b) 2019–20; and (c) 2020–21, on the maintenance of coal tips in England.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
There are over 6,000 disused colliery tips in Great Britain, 2,460 of these are in Wales. Most of the colliery tips are now vegetated either through planned restoration or natural self-seeding. The Coal Authority currently owns 40 of the disused colliery tip sites in Great Britain (8 in England) and the spend profile for those tips is below:
Year | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 |
Allocated overall tips budget | 385k | 365k | 365k |
Actual overall tips spend | 399k | 345k | 297k (covid affected) |
English tips actual spend | 13k | 15k | 15k |
Source: The Coal Authority
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of coal tips in England that (1) pose, and (2) potentially pose, a danger to nearby communities; and what is the estimated cost of addressing any such dangers.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The vast majority of disused tips in England are now in either local authority or private ownership along with the legal responsibility for preventing any danger to the public. The majority of spoil tips were transferred to the current owners following the closure of the coal industry and break up of British Coal (formerly National Coal Board) and disposal of its land. The Coal Authority own eight tips in England, and these are kept under regular inspection with an annual budget allocated to undertake any necessary maintenance and safety works.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to restart generating nuclear power at the former sites at (1) Trawsfynydd, and (2) Wylfa.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Magnox reactors at these sites are being decommissioned by Magnox Ltd, a subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. The UK civil nuclear sector is developer led, therefore it’s for potential developers to bring credible proposals to Government. Government remains open to new nuclear projects with any viable companies and investors wishing to develop sites in the UK including Wylfa Newydd and Trawsfynydd.
The Government is clear in its recently published Net Zero Strategy that nuclear is an important part of our plans to achieve net zero. The Government has set out a new £120 million Future Nuclear Enabling Fund towards the development of nuclear projects. More details of the Fund and how it will operate will be released in due course.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the advice given by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies is shared, on a routine basis, with the devolved administrations.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Devolved Administrations are core participants of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). They therefore routinely receive all evidence papers and advice that SAGE provides.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to support the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon Project.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
The Government is currently assessing the recommendations of the Hendry Review on tidal lagoons and will publish a response in due course.