Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to decrease the level of energy dependence on gas.
Answered by Claire Perry
We are investing in new power generation technologies in order to support the economy and continue to be a world leader in tackling climate change. Renewables accounted for 25% of UK power in 2016, and half of our generation was low-carbon, a record high. We need a sustained programme to upgrade our energy infrastructure to replace old and inefficient generation plant that is coming to the end of its life. Whilst some retiring plant will be replaced by new low carbon capacity, gas has a role to play to maintain capacity adequacy and provide flexibility. This is not only the Government’s view, but that of the Committee on Climate Change (CCC).
Nuclear is also key to ensuring continued energy security and availability in the UK. It is a central tenet of our energy policy that diversity of supply assures security of supply. Whether we are considering the numbers of different suppliers of our gas, or in this case the number of different technologies we rely on for power, maintaining our diverse sources of supply is important.
We are also taking steps to help British homes and industry become more efficient. The Clean Growth Strategy includes numerous steps to help change the way we heat our homes and power our electricity grid. The Renewable Heat Incentive is a support scheme designed to help bridge the gap between the cost of fossil fuels and renewable and low carbon heat, and is open to homes and businesses across Great Britain.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to prevent gas shortages.
Answered by Claire Perry
Great Britain benefits from highly diverse and flexible sources of gas supply, including domestic production, pipelines from Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands, and liquefied natural gas terminals which can bring in gas from anywhere in the world.
Gas security in the UK is provided by ensuring that these diverse sources have volumes available sufficiently in excess of peak demand to cope with shocks, and system flexibility to respond quickly to those shocks.
Analysis shows GB supplies can meet gas demand even under severe weather conditions for an extended period of time.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to increase the production of electricity from onshore wind.
Answered by Claire Perry
I refer the hon Member to the reply given to question UIN 118634
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps is his Department taking to promote energy efficiency in households.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Government’s Clean Growth Strategy, published in October last year, set out a number of policies and proposals to promote energy efficiency in households. For example:
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to ensure that the emissions reduction targets set out in the Committee on Climate Change's carbon budgets are met.
Answered by Claire Perry
The UK met the first carbon budget (2008-2012) and is on track to meet the second (2013-2017) and third carbon budgets (2018-2022).
The Fifth Carbon Budget (covering 2028-32) was passed into law on 21 July 2016. This budget is set in line with the recommendation of our independent advisers, the Committee on Climate Change, at 1,725 MtCO2e, equivalent to a 57% reduction on 1990 levels.
The Clean Growth Strategy sets out ambitious policies and proposals to decarbonise the UK economy through the 2020s, and includes a 2032 pathway, which shows one of many plausible ways we can meet our fifth carbon budget.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to produce and implement a revenue neutral plan to bring the domestic sector housing stock up to Energy Performance Certificate Band C by 2035.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Clean Growth Strategy (the Strategy), published in October this year, sets out Government’s aspiration that as many homes as possible will be upgraded to an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band C by 2035, where practical, cost-effective and affordable. The Strategy set out a number of policies and proposals that will help us make progress against this aspiration, including:
In the Call for Evidence on building a market for energy efficiency, we made clear that the government would adopt policies that help to meet our commitments at the lowest possible net cost to UK taxpayers, consumer and businesses; and which maximise the social and economic benefits for the UK from this transition.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to state aid approval to classify remote island wind as a separate technology in Pot 2 of the CfD scheme, whether he will consider other parts of the UK for inclusion in that classification where remoteness and the lack of electricity grid infrastructure or other reasons mean that it is very difficult to develop onshore wind in those areas.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Government proposes to define remote island wind projects as being physically remote and requiring subsea connections from the islands to the Main Interconnected Transmission System. This means that these projects incur unavoidable higher transmission costs, which sets them apart from onshore wind projects located elsewhere in the UK. It is on this basis that the government intends to classify remote island wind as a distinct technology in Pot 2 of the Contracts for Difference scheme. The Government is not proposing to broaden the definition of remote island wind projects in the way that the hon. Member suggests.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether Welsh onshore wind projects will be eligible to apply for any future Contracts for Difference Pot 1 auction in the same way as Scottish onshore wind projects in the event that a future auction is held.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Contracts for Difference (CFD) scheme is applicable to Great Britain. Onshore wind is an established (Pot 1) technology for the purposes of the CFD scheme. No decisions have been taken on running another allocation round for established technologies.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress has been made on determining applications under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 2003 for major wind farms in Mid Wales since 4 October 2016; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Department is currently determining two applications for consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 for onshore wind farms in mid-Wales – the proposed Carnedd Wen and Llanbrynmair wind farms in Powys. Following the quashing of the previous decisions on those applications in December 2015, my Department has carried out further consultation with developers and other interested parties which ended on 4 October 2016. Since then, the responses to that consultation have been carefully assessed and it is anticipated decisions on both applications will be made shortly.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to bring all properties occupied by fuel-poor households up to Energy Performance Certificate band C by 2030.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) requires energy companies to fund household energy efficiency improvements each year. 70% of ECO is now focussed on improving the energy efficiency of low income and vulnerable and we intend to consult on moving that to 100% for the next Obligation period. Combined with energy bill rebates provided under the Government’s Warm Home Discount scheme, this is at least £770 million of support to low income and vulnerable households in 2017/18.
In the Clean Growth Strategy, the Government committed to extend support for home energy efficiency out to 2028 at least as the current levels of ECO funding (£640m per annum), and review the best form of support beyond 2022, recognising the need both to save carbon and to meet the Government’s commitment to upgrade all fuel poor homes to EPC Band C by 2030.
In addition, Government has legislated so that from April 2018 all landlords of the worst performing privately rented properties must meet a minimum standard of Energy Performance Certificate Band E, before properties can be let. In the longer term, Government has committed to looking at raising energy performance standards across the private rented sector further, with a view for as many properties to reach Energy Performance Certificate Band C by 2030.