Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he is taking steps to use maritime spatial planning to identify areas with high potential for the development of offshore wind energy.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In October 2024, the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments jointly commissioned the NESO to produce a Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) for Great Britain. This more strategic approach to planning will help accelerate the government’s clean energy superpower mission, including through the development of offshore wind.
This first SSEP will cover infrastructure for power generation, including offshore generation in Great British waters, so that the government can create a more efficient electricity network and reduce waiting times for generation projects to connect to the grid. This will move to a whole energy system plan in future iterations.
The SSEP will sit alongside the existing Marine Spatial Prioritisation programme, as well as wider planning reform, whilst respecting devolved competencies.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support job creation in the renewable energy sector.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Our recently announced Clean Industry Bonus will help to drive investment in our heartland and coastal communities, and in cleaner supply chains – creating economic opportunities in the supply chains of the future. We have also set up the Office for Clean Energy Jobs, which will work closely with businesses and unions to map skills needs and ensure we have the workforce needed to take advantage of the clean energy transition.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on giving GB Energy a nature recovery duty.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Great British Energy will be operationally independent and will deliver in line with a statement of strategic priorities. Its projects will be subject to all relevant environmental legislation, which the Secretary of State regularly engages cabinet colleagues on. This includes the Planning and Infrastructure Bill which aims to accelerate infrastructure delivery, while protecting nature, to achieve clean power by 2030.
Government wants improved outcomes for our environment. We are committed to protecting 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030, halting biodiversity decline by 2030, and expanding nature-rich habitats such as wetlands, peat bogs, and forests.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has plans to embed nature as a core priority in (a) the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan and (b) other energy planning frameworks.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is fully committed to protecting nature. That’s why as part of the SSEP we are requiring NESO to give due consideration to environmental impacts and statutory environmental duties throughout all stages of its production. The SSEP will also be subject to a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and plan-level Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA).
Wider energy planning frameworks such as the Centralised Strategic Network Plan (CSNP) will take a whole energy system approach to strategic network planning and balance environmental impact as a key priority alongside economic cost, deliverability, and community impact.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reallocating subsidies for burning bioenergy towards lower carbon renewables.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has set an ambitious target of clean power by 2030 as part of its mission to become a clean energy superpower. We have received advice from the NESO on how to achieve this target. We will review this advice and outline our approach to clean power by 2030 in our Action Plan, expected later this year. The role of different low carbon technologies in the future electricity system, including biomass, will be considered as part of that.