Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 Great British Energy on household energy bills in Fylde.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In an unstable world, the only way to guarantee energy security and protect billpayers is to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels. That is why government has a mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower.
We have a sustainable, long-term plan to protect all UK billpayers, including the people of Fylde, from volatile international gas markets. Backed by £8.3 billion, Great British Energy is part of this plan, driving the deployment of the clean, homegrown energy we need to boost our energy independence. As a publicly-owned company, Great British Energy will ensure UK taxpayers, billpayers, and communities reap the benefits of this.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce household energy bills in Fylde constituency.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers – including those in Fylde - permanently. This, combined with our Warm Homes Plan to upgrade millions of homes to make them warmer and cheaper to run is how we will drive down energy bills and make cold homes a thing of the past.
We are delivering the Warm Home Discount to around 3 million eligible low-income households this winter. On 25 February, we published a consultation on the expansion of the Warm Home Discount, giving more eligible households £150 off their energy bills. These proposals would bring around 2.7 million households into the scheme – pushing the total number of households that would receive the discount next winter up to around 6 million.
The Government has extended the Household Support Fund in England until 31 March 2026 with an extra £742 million in support, with additional funding for the Devolved Governments. In addition, I have also worked with energy suppliers to agree a £500 million Winter Commitment to help customers struggling with bills this winter.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much compensation was paid to windfarm operators because they were instructed to stop operating due to high winds in the last financial year.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department does not hold this information. The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is responsible for managing constraints and publishes yearly breakdowns by cost and volume, which can be found here: Constraint Breakdown Costs and Volume | National Energy System Operator. Data is not available on the split of costs between different types of generators.
Increasing the capacity of Great Britain’s electricity network is essential for reducing curtailment and constraint payments. This is why the Government is working to accelerate the build of new network infrastructure, so more cheap, homegrown energy can power up our homes and businesses.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2024 to Question 20865 on Wind Power: Fylde, what assessment he has made of the (a) capacity of the National Grid connection at Penwortham and (b) sufficiency of that connection to receive additional power from the proposed new connections from the Morgan & Morecambe off-shore windfarms.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The National Energy System Operator (NESO) considered the onshore and offshore network as a whole when conducting the assessment of options to connect the Morgan and Morecambe offshore wind projects to the onshore grid as part of its Holistic Network Design (HND). The assessment considered factors including substation capacity and community and environmental impacts of substation extension, if required to support offshore connections.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether protections exist to prevent energy companies from selling windfarm projects once planning permission is received.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
It is a commercial matter for energy companies if they decide to sell a project, in whole or in part, and at what point in the project’s lifecycle.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his Department’s policy is on energy alternatives to wind power.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Whilst all routes to a Clean Power system will require mass deployment of wind power, we recognise that to achieve a clean, affordable and secure system we will need a mix of generation technologies. The Government is supporting the development and deployment of many other renewable generation technologies, including solar, biomass, tidal and geothermal. It is also supporting new nuclear, and low carbon dispatchable technologies such as hydrogen to power and power with carbon capture, usage and storage.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 energy costs on business in Fylde.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Wholesale energy costs have decreased for non-domestic consumers since the global energy crisis, but we recognise that some businesses may be struggling to pay their bills. The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently.
In the short-term, the Government wants to provide businesses with better protection from being locked into unfair and expensive energy contracts, and more redress when they have a complaint. Last year, the Government launched a consultation on introducing regulation of Third-Party Intermediaries (TPIs), such as energy brokers. This is aimed at enhancing consumer protections, particularly for non-domestic consumers. The consultation has now closed, and a Government response will follow in due course once all feedback has been reviewed.
Business owners struggling to pay their bills should contact their supplier to discuss their options, including ‘blend and extend’ contracts, where the higher unit rate is blended with a new lower rate, spreading the cost over the course of a long contract.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether proposals to temporarily close parts of St Anne’s beach to lay cables to connect the Morgan and Morecambe windfarm to its substations includes provisions to compensate affected business owners.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
All relevant information on the Morgan and Morecambe transmission assets can be found on the appropriate project page of the Planning Inspectorate website. The developers set out their proposals for a contingency fund to address temporary business disruptions caused by necessary construction works in their Development Consent Order Application documents.[1]
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on biodiversity of proposals for the Morgan and Morecambe windfarm (a) cabling corridor and (b) substations.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
National Energy System Operator (NESO) considered the environmental impacts of the proposed Morgan and Morecambe windfarms cabling corridor and substation as part of its Holistic Network Design (HND).[1]
The developers, BP and EnBW, have submitted detailed environmental assessments addressing the impacts on biodiversity as part of the Morgan and Morecambe transmission project planning application.[2]
[1] https://www.neso.energy/publications/beyond-2030/holistic-network-design-offshore-wind
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 on the area’s badger population of proposals for the Morgan and Morecambe (a) cabling corridor and (b) substations.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
National Energy System Operator considered the onshore and offshore impacts of the proposals for the Morgan and Morecambe windfarms cable corridor and substation on sensitive habitats as part of its Holistic Network Design.[1] Following this, the developers BP and EnBW submitted detailed environmental assessments as part of the project planning application, which include assessment of the impacts on specific species such as badgers.[2]
[1] https://www.neso.energy/publications/beyond-2030/holistic-network-design-offshore-wind