Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, If he will delay announcing subsidy decisions on Drax until after he has received Ofgem’s report on the compliance of Drax with sustainability rules during the last financial year.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government only supports sustainable biomass and generators only receive subsidies for biomass that complies with our criteria.
The results of Ofgem’s investigation into Drax’s compliance with biomass sustainability criteria was published in August 2024 and can be found here, https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/ofgem-decision-investigation-drax-power-limited) . Ofgem found that whilst Drax complied with sustainability standards, it had failed to report data accurately. Drax’s misreporting is a serious matter and Government expects full compliance with all regulatory obligations. Drax’s £25 million redress payment underscores the robustness of the regulatory system. No decision has been taken as to whether transitional support arrangements will be introduced for relevant biomass generators when their current subsidies end.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of using hydrogen to power glass factories.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Low carbon hydrogen is a leading option to decarbonise industrial processes that are harder or more expensive to electrify.
Hydrogen could therefore be important for processes that require high temperatures or direct firing such as in the glass or ceramics industry.
Government has an ambitious range of policies in place to incentivise and support industry to invest in innovative, clean technologies, including low carbon hydrogen.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
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 introduce social energy tariffs.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has no plans to introduce an energy social tariff this winter. However, we are committed to ensuring vulnerable households are supported with their energy bills and we are looking at all options on how to support these households.
The Government is continuing to deliver the Warm Home Discount which provides a £150 rebate off energy bills to over 3 million eligible low-income households. We are also working with energy suppliers to ensure they are providing additional support to vulnerable customers.
The Government has also extended the Household Support Fund for an additional 6 months until 31 March 2025 with an extra £500 million in funding, and I encourage any individual who is struggling to pay their bills contacts their local authority to see if they are eligible for this support.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the cost per household of government support for biomass in (a) 2024, (b) 2025 and (c) 2026.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government provides support for biomass, for the purpose of heat and power generation, through active and legacy policy schemes, such as the Renewables Obligation (RO) and the Contracts for Difference (CfD). The annual cost of support is dependent on variables, such as the volume of electricity generation in a given year and the wholesale cost of electricity. The Department does not hold a combined estimate of the projected cost of these schemes for “biomass” in the years listed.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress his Department has made on its review of biomass sustainability standards.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The 2023 Biomass Strategy contained a commitment to consult on developing and implementing a cross-sector sustainability framework to enable greater consistency across sectors. Next steps on this will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the energy price cap for winter 2024-25.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The energy price cap is set by Ofgem and not the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. More information on how Ofgem calculate the price cap can be found on its website - https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-price-cap.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the contribution of the plastic production industry to the level of greenhouse gas emissions produced by the UK in (a) 2024 and (b) in the next ten years.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The department does not produce specific emissions estimates for the plastic production industry, however our greenhouse gas (GHG) territorial (i.e. occurring within the UK’s borders) emissions statistics by Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) includes a category for plastics products. The latest year for which data is available is 2022, when GHG emissions from manufacture of plastic products was 2,266 kilotonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (kt CO2e).
The department publishes Energy & Emissions Projections however these do not include an emissions split for plastic products.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/energy-and-emissions-projections
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) including additional reconciliation windows until 2027 and (b) other alternative proposals to the proposed Energy Bill Relief Scheme final reconciliation date of May 2024.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
The Department understands the concerns raised by both industry trade bodies and individual energy suppliers, on the potential impact of the proposed reconciliation date for the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. To that end, the Department has been working closely with the concerned parties to develop a reconciliation proposal for the £7.5 billion scheme, that strikes the right balance of addressing suppliers concerns and protecting public funds, including potentially adding additional reconciliation windows.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the potential (a) merits of introducing a standing charge relief for electric vehicle charge point operators and (b) impact of such a relief on the deployment of electric vehicle charge points in rural areas.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The setting of standing charges associated with tariffs is a commercial matter for suppliers, and suppliers have the flexibility in how they structure their tariffs. Ofgem regulates standing charges, as they do with other elements of billing.
The Government is pleased that Ofgem is considering the issue of standing charges through their recent Call for Input and looks forward to hearing its findings and future proposals. The Government expects bills to be fair and affordable for all consumers (including for electric vehicle charging), that standing charges are kept as low as possible, and that the right costs are recovered.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the deployment of electric vehicle charge points in rural areas.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The Government wants people across the country to have the opportunity to make the move to electric vehicles wherever they live and work.
Our £381 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund aims to address regional charging inequality and transform the availability of EV charging for drivers. The data-led allocation model to award funding considers the level of rurality with local authorities in rural areas allocated additional funding compared to urban ones.
In addition, the Workplace Charging Scheme supports businesses including charities, small accommodation businesses, public sector organisations, and state-funded education institutions with grants for chargepoints.