Asked by: Elaine Stewart (Labour - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the potential for Pumped Storage Hydro in ensuring grid stability and reducing constraint payments in respect of renewable energy generated in the south and south west of Scotland.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Long duration electricity storage (LDES) allows excess renewable generation to be stored and then used at peak times, helping to maximise the use of low-cost homegrown energy and reduce reliance on expensive global gas markets. New LDES will be built for the first time in over forty years under the cap and floor policy brought in by this government.
Ofgem is the independent regulator and decision maker for the cap and floor scheme appointed by government to deliver the policy. It assessed all projects through its Multi Criteria Assessment framework, with analytical support from NESO on whole system impacts. This assessment included consideration of system balancing and constraint management costs and resulted in Ofgem’s minded to decision on projects to support through window one, which includes 3.9GW of Pumped Storage Hydro in Scotland.
Asked by: Elaine Stewart (Labour - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the geographical location of the Long Duration Energy Storage projects on Ofgem's ‘minded-to’ decisions list for cap & floor support in the context of the concentration of intermittent renewable generation capacity operating and planned in the south and south-west of Scotland; and what consultation she has had with Ofgem to ensure that cap and floor support is appropriately correlated with the regional presence of large-scale renewable generation, with particular reference to that area.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Long duration electricity storage (LDES) allows excess renewable generation to be stored and then used at peak times, helping to maximise the use of low-cost homegrown energy and reduce reliance on expensive global gas markets. New LDES will be built for the first time in over forty years under the cap and floor policy brought in by this government.
Ofgem is the independent regulator and decision maker for the cap and floor scheme appointed by government to deliver the policy. It assessed all projects through its Multi Criteria Assessment framework, with analytical support from NESO on whole system impacts. This assessment included consideration of locational factors.
Asked by: Elaine Stewart (Labour - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much of the onshore wind pipeline in the Eskdalemuir consultation zone his Department plans to see unlocked in the forthcoming solution to onshore wind development around the Seismic Array.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The interference that onshore wind turbines can cause to seismological monitoring stations was a priority area of focus for the Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce. In the recent Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy my Department committed to working with Scottish Government and the Ministry of Defence to consult on new policy and guidance, aiming to unlock 3-6GW of onshore wind capacity around the Eskdalemuir Seismic Array.
Asked by: Elaine Stewart (Labour - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of the exclusion zone on the development of wind farms around the Eskdalemuir Seismic Array.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The interference that onshore wind turbines can cause to seismological monitoring stations was a priority area of focus for the Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce. In the recent Onshore Wind Taskforce Strategy my Department committed to working with Scottish Government and the Ministry of Defence to consult on new policy and guidance, aiming to unlock 3-6GW of onshore wind capacity around the Eskdalemuir Seismic Array.