Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure that Regional Energy Strategic Plans are integrated with the Review of Electricity Market Arrangement reforms.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs) and electricity market reforms are being developed as complementary parts of the Government’s approach to an efficient, secure and clean power system. The Review of Electricity Market Arrangements has transitioned to the Reformed National Pricing (RNP) Programme, which is developing electricity market reforms to help deliver the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP). RESPs will provide regional evidence on future energy needs to support network planning. Officials are considering how RNP interacts with RESP and are working with the National Energy System Operator, Ofgem and stakeholders to ensure alignment between strategic energy planning and market reforms.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to take steps to ensure that demand-side assets are given equal prominence to generation in the Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs).
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the important role of demand-side assets. This is reflected in the Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs), which the National Energy System Operator (NESO) is developing to support whole-system distribution-level planning across energy demand, supply, storage and flexibility. NESO will develop RESPs with local actors, network operators and wider stakeholders, helping to ensure demand-side assets are appropriately considered in RESP outputs, including Pathways and Consistent Planning Assumptions. A ‘Consumer and Commercial Demand Working Group’ will also be established for each region.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allowing a portion of avoided network or generation capex to be reallocated to support industrial sites and local authorities in investing in onsite low carbon technologies.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the important role that onsite low carbon technologies can play in reducing emissions, improving energy resilience and supporting industrial competitiveness.
Through programmes such as the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF), which made around £500 million available to support UK industry to decarbonise, and wider support for industrial decarbonisation, we are helping businesses invest in technologies including electrification, energy efficiency and onsite generation.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of reliance on imports from countries that have withdrawn from international climate agreements on the UK's biomass strategy.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government only supports the use of sustainable biomass in line with UK’s sustainability criteria, irrespective of country of origin. We have consulted on a Common Biomass Sustainability Framework in order to improve consistency across sectors and strengthen criteria in line with the latest evidence.
We will keep the criteria under review as the global biomass market evolves, to ensure the UK has sufficient sustainable supplies, domestically and from imports.
Common biomass sustainability framework: consultation document (accessible webpage) - GOV.UK
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the proposed Common Biomass Sustainability Framework will require imported forest biomass to originate from countries that are Parties to the Paris Agreement.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has consulted on proposals to develop the Common Biomass Sustainability Framework and is analysing responses received.
The final design of the framework, will be informed by the evidence and views gathered through the consultation.
Common biomass sustainability framework: consultation document (accessible webpage) - GOV.UK
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has assessed the potential impact of the United States withdrawing from the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change on biomass sustainability policy.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government only supports the use of sustainable biomass in line with UK’s sustainability criteria, irrespective of country of origin.
We have consulted on a Common Biomass Sustainability Framework in order to improve consistency across sectors and strengthen criteria in line with the latest evidence.
We will keep the criteria under review as the global biomass market evolves, to ensure the UK has sufficient sustainable supplies, domestically and from imports.
Common biomass sustainability framework: consultation document (accessible webpage) - GOV.UK
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to align future biomass sustainability criteria with the land-use, land-use change and forestry requirements set out in the EU Renewable Energy Directive III.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has consulted on proposals to develop a Common Biomass Sustainability Framework and is analysing responses received. As stated in the consultation (p18), the sustainability criteria used by other countries and regions will be one of our considerations when deciding what works best for the UK.
The final design of the Framework will be informed by the evidence and views gathered through the consultation.
Common biomass sustainability framework: consultation document (accessible webpage) - GOV.UK
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to ADE Heat Networks' report "Clean Heat 2040", what plans he has to mandate that industrial plants and data centres make their surplus heat available for district heating networks.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Heat Network zoning equips communities and local government with the tools to accelerate the development of low carbon heat networks and ensure that more homes and businesses can have access to greener, cheaper heat.
Through heat network zoning, certain types of buildings and heat sources can be required to connect to a network within a prescribed timeframe. This will allow for large-scale strategic heat networks to be built in towns and cities across the country.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to ADE: Heat Networks report entitled Clean Heat 2040 report, whether he plans to rebalance energy policy costs for heat networks away from electricity bills.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government recognises that high electricity prices are a significant pressure on industry and a barrier to investment and growth. We are continuing to develop further policies to bring down electricity costs relative to gas, and intend to consult on options to reduce costs and make electrification an economically rational choice for a wider range of businesses and organisations.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to ADE Heat Networks' report "Clean Heat 2040" what assessment his Department has made of the case for extending to heat networks the same long-term revenue support mechanisms that are already provided to nuclear power and carbon capture projects.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government recognises the conclusion of the report that electricity prices are a significant pressure on the heat network industry and a barrier to investment and growth. We intend to consult on options to reduce costs, provide longer-term certainty and make electrification an economically rational choice for a wider range of businesses including heat networks.