Asked by: Cherilyn Mackrory (Conservative - Truro and Falmouth)
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 plans to take to (a) implement the provisions of the Energy Prices Act and (b) increase the use of renewable energy.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Energy Prices Act gained Royal Assent on 25 October 2022. The Department has laid a number of statutory instruments to ensure the effective implementation of the energy support schemes brought forward by the Act.
The acceleration in renewable deployment will be supported by the UK's main renewable energy scheme, Contracts for Difference. The latest round delivered almost 11GW of new renewable projects, almost double achieved in the previous round. Future CfD rounds will be run annually to drive further deployment.
Asked by: Cherilyn Mackrory (Conservative - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he will announce further details on access to the energy discount provided for by the Energy Bills Support Scheme for park home owners.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is finalising the details for the Energy Bills Support Scheme for park home owners, which will be set up for applications this winter.
Asked by: Cherilyn Mackrory (Conservative - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether geothermal energy will be allocated a budget minima in the Auction Round 5 of the Contracts for Difference Scheme.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is currently considering auction parameters for all technologies for Allocation Round 5 of the Contracts for Difference scheme, including any for geothermal, taking into account evidence of the pipeline of available projects. The Government will publish details of these parameters ahead of the round opening in March 2023.
Asked by: Cherilyn Mackrory (Conservative - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the draft budget for Auction Round 5 of the Contracts for Difference Scheme will be published.
Answered by Graham Stuart
A draft timeline for Allocation 5 is available on the Contracts for Difference microsite.[1]The Government will publish details of auction parameters, including the final budget, ahead of the round opening in March 2023.
[1] https://www.cfdallocationround.uk/publications/draft-allocation-round-5-timeline
Asked by: Cherilyn Mackrory (Conservative - Truro and Falmouth)
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 has taken to support the British geothermal industry.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government supports the development of geothermal projects provided it can be done at an acceptable cost to consumers. The most promising use of geothermal energy in the UK is for heat applications such as in district heating network schemes. The Government is supporting the development of low carbon heat networks and thereby building its capability to harness heat from sources such as geothermal energy. Electricity generated from geothermal heat is able to bid into the Contracts for Difference scheme.
Asked by: Cherilyn Mackrory (Conservative - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government has had any discussions with relevant stakeholders on the potential role of Cornwall as a lithium hub for the UK.
Answered by Lee Rowley
As part of development of the Critical Minerals Strategy, and working alongside the Department of International Trade, BEIS has identified the important role Cornwall can play in lithium extraction for the UK.
My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have visited Cornish Lithium and British Lithium, who are looking to expand activities around lithium within Cornwall.
Cornish Lithium received investment for the construction of Europe’s first geothermal lithium recovery pilot plant at a location near Redruth, through the Government's Getting Building Fund.
British Lithium Ltd, based in St Austell, is one of the first companies in the world to progress commercial extraction of lithium carbonate from the mica in granite. They have been awarded more than £2.9m from the Government’s Sustainable Innovation Fund.
Asked by: Cherilyn Mackrory (Conservative - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether (a) his Department has engaged with global anode producers and (b) the Government has plans for anode production in the UK.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The Department routinely engages with producers of strategically important components for electric vehicles, including anodes and other battery materials. In 2020, the Government announced £500m to establish an Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF), to support the development of an internationally competitive electric vehicle supply chain, including anode production in the UK.
As part of the Net Zero Strategy, in October 2021, Government announced a further £350m to be delivered through the ATF over the next three years to ensure that the UK maximises the benefits from the transition to a zero emission vehicle future and support tens of thousands of high-quality green jobs across the UK.
Asked by: Cherilyn Mackrory (Conservative - Truro and Falmouth)
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 the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, what steps his Department is taking to help deliver the strategy to increase domestic extraction and production of critical minerals.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The Government will publish a UK Critical Minerals Strategy in 2022. This will include steps to create an enabling environment for the domestic extraction, processing and recycling of critical minerals. It can also support the production of key components, like batteries.
Funding, such as the Automotive Transformation Fund, National Security Strategic Investment Fund, UK Infrastructure Bank, UK Export Finance, and the National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research programme, can support investments at various points along the critical minerals value chain in specific sectors, like the automotive industry. For example, Cornish Lithium has received support via the Getting Building Fund (2020) and Automotive Transformation Fund (2021). British Lithium has received grant funding from Innovate UK (2020) and the Sustainable Innovation Fund (2021).
Asked by: Cherilyn Mackrory (Conservative - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government has taken to help secure the necessary battery metals needed for the electric vehicle sector.
Answered by Lee Rowley
The Government will publish a UK Critical Minerals Strategy in 2022. This will include steps to create an enabling environment for the domestic extraction, processing and recycling of critical minerals. It can also support the production of key components, like batteries.
Funding, such as the Automotive Transformation Fund, National Security Strategic Investment Fund, UK Infrastructure Bank, UK Export Finance, and the National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research programme, can support investments at various points along the critical minerals value chain in specific sectors, like the automotive industry. For example, Cornish Lithium has received support via the Getting Building Fund (2020) and Automotive Transformation Fund (2021). British Lithium has received grant funding from Innovate UK (2020) and the Sustainable Innovation Fund (2021).
Asked by: Cherilyn Mackrory (Conservative - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress his Department has made on the implementation of the Home Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme.
Answered by Lee Rowley
Following intensive development work and stakeholder engagement over the past few months, the Department is now finalising the scheme design, and subject to final business case approvals we intend to launch the scheme soon.