Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 reclaiming any portion of the subsidies provided to Drax Power Limited, in the context of the finding by Ofgem that Drax had misreported data in relation to their annual profiling submission between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022, published on 29 August 2024.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Compliance with biomass sustainability criteria is a priority and Ofgem as the independent regulator is responsible for ensuring generators’ compliance. Ofgem’s recent investigation found that whilst Drax complied with sustainability standards, it had failed to report data accurately. This is a serious matter and Government expects full compliance with all regulatory obligations. Ofgem did not find any evidence to suggest that Drax had been issued with subsidies incorrectly. Drax’s subsequent £25 million redress payment underscores the robustness of the regulatory system.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 representations to Drax on the increase in whistleblower reports recorded by the organisation between 2022 and 2023.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government takes reports of complaints very seriously. Compliance with biomass sustainability criteria is a priority and Ofgem as the independent regulator is responsible for ensuring generators’ compliance. Ofgem’s recent investigation found that whilst Drax complied with sustainability standards, it had failed to report data accurately. This is a serious matter and Government expects full compliance with all regulatory obligations. Drax’s subsequent £25 million redress payment underscores the robustness of the regulatory system.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 10 September 2024 to Question 3784 on Solar Power: Housing, if he will make it his policy to regulate the Smart Export Guarantee market to ensure that (a) residential and (b) small commercial exporters of energy are paid the same price per unit as large commercial providers.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
To encourage innovation and competition, the Smart Export Guarantee is a market-led mechanism in which energy suppliers, rather than the government, set both the tariff levels and structure. The scheme’s success should therefore be gauged by the diversity and creativity of the offerings. To date there is a good range of offers for both residential and commercial exporters which is evident in Ofgem’s latest SEG annual report (https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-and-social-schemes/smart-export-guarantee-seg/smart-export-guarantee-seg-contacts-guidance-and-resources). This demonstrates the scheme’s growth in terms of tariff variety, innovation, and prices. We will continue to keep this under review.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to ensure that households with solar panels and battery storage receive the rate of wholesale electricity as payment for excess electricity exported to the grid.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Both rooftop solar and batteries are important for getting to net zero. Households and businesses with solar panels can benefit through significantly reduced electricity bills. They can also export the excess energy they generate to the grid via the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). This is a market led mechanism where electricity supply companies set their own export tariffs. As the SEG is market led, those with solar panels can shop around for the best prices.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make it his policy to hold a substantive debate in the House of Commons on future subsidy arrangements for Drax power station.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
No decision has been taken on whether transitional support arrangements should be introduced for biomass generators when their current arrangements end. The Government will consider a range of factors, including a robust assessment of potential value for money for consumers, to inform its decision. This will be subject to appropriate Parliamentary engagement.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps enable households with solar panels and battery storage to receive the rate of wholesale electricity as payment for excess electricity exported to the grid for the next three years.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Both rooftop solar and battery storage will play a crucial role in the Government’s mission to make the UK a clean energy superpower, by saving families money on their bills and giving us energy security.
Over 1.2 million homes now have solar PV installed, and the Government believes rooftop solar on new homes and buildings will, where appropriate, play an important role in the drive for solar, delivering cleaner energy and lower bills to millions of households and businesses.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 estimate of the amount of non-residential building roof space that is (a) available and (b) suitable for the installation of solar panels.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government does not take a prescriptive approach to the amount of rooftop solar deployment required, nor to the mix between installation on domestic and non-domestic properties. Therefore, no such estimate has been made. However, the Government is clear that rooftop solar will play an important role in achieving its ambition of tripling existing solar capacity by 2030. Further details will be included in the upcoming publication of the Solar Roadmap.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has had recent discussions with Ofgem on the potential impact of recent changes in off-peak night rates on Economy 7 electricity tariffs on households which use electricity to heat their homes in comparison with other households.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
As the demand for electricity during the night-time period has grown, energy suppliers have had to pay significantly more to purchase that electricity for their customers. In turn, this is reflected in rising night-time rate for time-of-use tariffs
The setting of tariffs, including for peak and off-peak periods for ‘Time-of-Use’ tariffs (such as Economy 7), are a commercial matter for individual energy suppliers.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress her Department has made on a consultation on (a) introducing a statutory fuel finder scheme and (b) establishing a statutory monitoring body for fuel retailers.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
The Government announced on 15 November that the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) would undertake the ongoing road fuels price monitoring function. The Digital Markets, Competition & Consumers (DMCC) Bill was amended at Commons Report stage to give the CMA information-gathering powers for the monitoring function.
We are due to launch our consultation on the design of the statutory open data scheme and aspects of the monitoring function not outlined in the DMCC Bill shortly.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 18 September 2023 to Question 198559 on Energy: Hospitality Industry, whether she has received representations from (a) UK Hospitality, (b) the British Beer and Pub Association, or (c) hospitality businesses about energy companies refusing to supply (i) pubs, (ii) restaurants and (iii) other hospitality premises.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
The Department regularly answers correspondence on issues related to the retail energy market, including those raised by representatives from the hospitality industry. The Department regularly meets with stakeholders from this industry. On 12th September, I met again with the UK Hospitality CEO, Kate Nicholls, where we discussed UK Hospitality’s views on the Ofgem review into the non-domestic energy market.