Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether any of Great British Energy's 8.3bn budget will be spent on funding (a) the offshore renewable energy catapult and (b) other existing technology investment initiatives.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Great British Energy will invest in, own and operate projects which will produce clean, cheap and homegrown energy and make Britain energy secure. It will be backed by a capitalisation of £8.3bn of new money over this Parliament.
Government will clarify the relationship between Great British Energy and existing technology investment schemes and initiatives, such as the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, in due course.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how GB Energy will interact with the (a) UK Infrastructure Bank and (b) National Wealth Fund to provide investment for renewable energy; and how renewables investments by GB Energy will differ from investments by the (a) UK Infrastructure Bank and (b) National Wealth Fund.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Great British Energy will work with institutions such as the National Wealth Fund and UK Infrastructure Bank to deliver the Government’s clean energy mission. The Government is currently developing the details of both Great British Energy and the National Wealth Fund in consultation with industry stakeholders and is committed to providing further detail on these bodies and the interactions between them in due course.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether wind farm developments which receive investment from GB Energy will be eligible for contracts via the Contracts for Difference scheme.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The way that Great British Energy interacts with other existing and new government policies influencing the energy system, including the Contracts for Difference Scheme, will be determined in due course. Great British Energy’s activities will be compliant with the Subsidy Control Act and Windsor Framework.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he will publish a response to the consultation entitled Review of electricity market arrangements (REMA): second consultation which closed on 7 May 2024.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Electricity market reform work is key to delivering a decarbonised, secure, and affordable system. The new Government is currently assessing timelines, and we will provide more information in due course.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans for GB Energy to have a public option retail arm.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
No. The Government does not intend Great British Energy to be an energy retail company or to supply energy directly to households. Great British Energy will invest in, own and operate energy projects which will produce clean, cheap and homegrown power that is sold to retail companies.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of changes in the number of jobs in the (a) oil and (b) gas sector in (i) the UK and (ii) Scotland in each of the next 30 years.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department does not hold these estimates.
According to ONS data[1], direct jobs in oil and gas extraction fell by around a third between 2014 and 2022 (from c.42k to c.28k). Of all current direct offshore oil and gas jobs, roughly 80% are in Scotland[2].
As Britain becomes a clean energy superpower, the Government is determined to create new high-quality jobs to ensure a phased and responsible transition in the North Sea.
[1] ONS Business Register and Employment Survey - https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/industry235digitsicbusinessregisterandemploymentsurveybrestable2
[2] ONS Business Register and Employment data from NOMIS - (https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/query/select/getdatasetbytheme.asp?theme=27&subgrp=Previous+employment+surveys)
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what plans he has for GB Energy (a) investment in and (b) partial ownership of community energy projects.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Great British Energy, through the Local Power Plan, will give local communities a stake in the transition to net zero, as owners and partners in clean energy projects. It will provide commercial, technical and project-planning assistance to Local and Combined Authorities and Community Energy Groups, increasing their capability and capacity to build a pipeline of successful projects in their local areas. As an operationally independent company, Great British Energy will work with stakeholders at the local level to decide ownership structures for each project.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what plans he has for (a) whole and (b) partial ownership of energy generation capacity by GB Energy by 2045.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government does not intend for Great British Energy to buy existing generation assets from private sector operators. Instead, Government anticipates that it will develop a portfolio of new assets, boosting Britain’s energy security whilst also delivering revenues to the British taxpayer. Government will do this by working in partnership with the private sector, local authorities and communities.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what plans he has for GB Energy (a) whole and (b) partial ownership of electricity transmission infrastructure.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Great British Energy will not seek to own electricity transmission infrastructure, instead it will be a publicly owned generation company that will own, manage, and operate clean energy projects across the country. This means Great British Energy will invest in and own renewable energy projects which will produce clean, cheap and homegrown energy and make Britain energy secure.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate he has made of the relative costs per km of (a) overhead, (b) underground and (c) offshore electricity transmission cables.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government keeps abreast of the various technologies that can be used to help us achieve clean power by 2030, including the various means of laying cable, but has not yet made an estimate of the relative costs of cabling since it came into power.