Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the number of residents failing to pay (a) gas and (b) electricity bills as a result of increases in the cost of living in (i) the UK, (ii) Rhondda Cynon Taf local authority and (iii) Cynon Valley constituency.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Information about customer accounts is held by suppliers, however, Ofgem’s licence conditions include an Ability to Pay Principle, which obligates suppliers to provide appropriate support for those struggling to pay their bills by setting up appropriate repayment plans based on a customer’s ability to pay, and by directing the customer to further support services.
The Government’s Energy Price Guarantee will save a typical British household around £700 this winter. This is on top of the £400 discount off the energy bills of all households and additional cost of living support being provided to vulnerable households.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
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 page nine of the Explanatory Notes to the Energy Prices Bill, published on 12 October 2022, with which interested bodies his Department held discussions on the cost-plus revenue facility; and when these discussions took place.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government has spoken to a wide range of interested bodies about the temporary Cost-Plus Revenue Limit and will invite further engagement through an appropriate consultation, to be launched shortly. The Government has held a series of confidential discussions with a range of low-carbon generator companies who will be directly affected by the policy, as well as with a wider group of generators, retail suppliers, and investors, including via the trade bodies RenewableUK and Energy UK. Discussions have been ongoing since the beginning of September 2022.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
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 Annex A of the Explanatory Notes to the Energy Prices Bill, published on 12 October 2022, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the cost-plus revenue limit facility on (a) private and (b) public sector investment in renewable energy.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The mechanics of the temporary Cost-Plus Revenue Limit will be subject to a consultation to be launched shortly, with final details to be announced and an Impact Assessment conducted ahead of regulations coming into force from the start of 2023. The Government will set a price that is fair for consumers, taxpayers and industry, recognising the need to ensure the design reflects generators’ investment commitment and risk. Under the scheme, generators will retain entitlements under the Renewables Obligation and Capacity Market.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 28 September to Question 51639 on Offshore Industry: North Sea, whether he plans to undertake analysis of the potential impact of increased domestic gas exploration and extraction in the North Sea on domestic wholesale price specifically.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government works closely with Ofgem, National Grid Gas and other key industry organisations to monitor the gas supply horizon and the impacts on the wholesale market. The Government has also set up the Energy Supply Taskforce, which has begun negotiations with domestic and international suppliers to agree long-term contracts that reduce the price they charge for energy and increase the security of its supply.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including an analysis of global gas production levels in the Climate Compatibility Checkpoint used by the North Sea Transition Authority in its (a) most recent and (b) future licensing rounds.
Answered by Graham Stuart
We have published the design of the Climate Compatibility Checkpoint, along with the Government’s response to the information received in the public consultation. There are currently no plans to revisit this design.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including an analysis of scope three emissions in the Climate Compatibility Checkpoint used by the North Sea Transition Authority in its (a) most recent and (b) future licensing rounds.
Answered by Graham Stuart
We have published the design of the Climate Compatibility Checkpoint, along with the Government’s response to the information received in the public consultation. There are currently no plans to revisit this design.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including an analysis of clean energy investment by license bidders in the Climate Compatibility Checkpoint used by the North Sea Transition Authority in its (a) most recent and (b) future licensing rounds.
Answered by Graham Stuart
We have published the design of the Climate Compatibility Checkpoint, along with the Government’s response to the information received in the public consultation. There are currently no plans to revisit this design.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of applying the climate compatibility checkpoint design to the development of existing licenses for domestic gas exploration and extraction.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Development under existing licences is already subject to rigorous examination by our expert regulators. This includes an environmental impact assessment by the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED), net zero related assessments by the North Sea Transition Authority which assesses the full societal cost of greenhouse gas emissions of proposed projects and has a clear emissions reduction focus in its stewardship activities.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the compatibility of potential increased gas exploration and extraction in the North Sea with (a) the UK's Nationally Determined Contribution and (b) the Government's Net Zero Strategy carbon emissions reduction timetable.
Answered by Graham Stuart
UK gas production has been declining for some years, and the UK is likely to be a net importer of gas to 2050. New exploration is part of delivering an orderly and net zero compliant management of that decline. Gas produced from the North Sea has a lower global emissions footprint than imported LNG. In the North Sea Transition deal the UK’s offshore sector further committed to 50% production emission reductions by 2030. The Government's Net Zero Strategy sets out how that target is consistent with the UK meeting its Nationally Determined Contribution and Carbon Budgets.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will undertake analysis of the potential impact of increased domestic gas exploration and extraction in the North Sea on achievement of UK net zero carbon emissions reduction targets.
Answered by Graham Stuart
UK gas production has been declining for some years, and the UK is likely to be a net importer of gas to 2050. New exploration is part of delivering an orderly and net zero compliant management of that decline. Gas produced from the North Sea has a lower global emissions footprint than imported LNG. In the North Sea Transition deal the UK’s offshore sector further committed to 50% production emission reductions by 2030. The Government's Net Zero Strategy sets out how that target is consistent with the UK meeting its Nationally Determined Contribution and Carbon Budgets.