Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps Ofgem are taking to reduce electricity losses in the transmission and distribution systems; and what assessment he has made of the effect of those losses on Scottish (a) businesses and (b) consumers.
Answered by Claire Perry
Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) and Transmission Owners have an overarching obligation to develop and maintain efficient, co-ordinated and economical systems. Ofgem has also placed specific licence obligations on them to ensure that losses are as low as reasonably practicable. Whilst Government and Ofgem are aware of potential approaches to minimising losses, including through the use of low resistance cables, network companies are not instructed exactly how to go about this. Instead, Ofgem sets incentives for network companies, including broader environmental incentives on losses and business carbon footprint. These incentives have encouraged the network companies to proactively manage losses on their networks to the extent to which this is possible. For example, it is now widespread practice across GB to replace ‘high-loss’ cables with newer ‘low-loss’ substitutes, where this is efficient. The DNOs are also undertaking a programme of replacing pre-1960s transformers with newer more efficient types.
Neither Government nor Ofgem specifically records the effect of losses on Scottish consumers and businesses. However, as part of developing their business plans for future capital expenditure, Ofgem will require network companies (including the Scottish network companies) to take into account the lifetime costs including losses, when deciding between different equipment.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential role of innovative, low resistance cables in helping to (a) reduce electrical losses and (b) deliver more electricity to where it is consumed.
Answered by Claire Perry
Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) and Transmission Owners have an overarching obligation to develop and maintain efficient, co-ordinated and economical systems. Ofgem has also placed specific licence obligations on them to ensure that losses are as low as reasonably practicable. Whilst Government and Ofgem are aware of potential approaches to minimising losses, including through the use of low resistance cables, network companies are not instructed exactly how to go about this. Instead, Ofgem sets incentives for network companies, including broader environmental incentives on losses and business carbon footprint. These incentives have encouraged the network companies to proactively manage losses on their networks to the extent to which this is possible. For example, it is now widespread practice across GB to replace ‘high-loss’ cables with newer ‘low-loss’ substitutes, where this is efficient. The DNOs are also undertaking a programme of replacing pre-1960s transformers with newer more efficient types.
Neither Government nor Ofgem specifically records the effect of losses on Scottish consumers and businesses. However, as part of developing their business plans for future capital expenditure, Ofgem will require network companies (including the Scottish network companies) to take into account the lifetime costs including losses, when deciding between different equipment.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to enable former directors of companies to require the removal of their name by those companies from company materials.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
The Government has no such plans. Limited liability is a privileged status through which individuals are able to carry out business while limiting the extent of their personal liabilities to third parties. There is a public interest in third parties being able to establish the trading history of an individual who has been a director of limited liability companies.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the cost of non-domestic renewable heat incentive subsidies was in each of the last three years.
Answered by Claire Perry
The cost of the Non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive scheme was:
Financial year | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 |
Non-domestic payments | £296 | £443m | £612m |
Note that the 2017/18 figure uses the latest available payment information and is correct up to end February 2018.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of the total biomass used to produce energy in the last year came from (a) domestically sourced wood and (b) imported wood.
Answered by Claire Perry
In 2016 (the latest year for which data are available), the UK energy demand for biomass was 8,542 thousand tonnes of oil equivalent (ktoe). Of this,
a) 46 per cent (3,935 ktoe) was domestically sourced wood, and;
b) 36 per cent (3,071 ktoe) was imported wood.
2016 | ktoe | ||
Wood[1] | Other biomass | Total | |
Production | 3,935 | 1,630 | 5,565 |
Imports | 3,071 | 41 | 3,112 |
Exports | -135 | 0 | -135 |
Total supply | 6,871 | 1,670 | 8,542 |
Source: Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) 2017, table 6.1[2] | |||
[1] Wood includes waste wood, wood, and wood pellets
[2] An estimate has been made for the proportion of wood pellets included in the plant biomass category in DUKES
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the 36 per cent increase in the use of bioenergy referred to in the Clean Growth Strategy which the Government plans to come from woody biomass.
Answered by Claire Perry
The modelling used to derive the changes in annual final energy consumption in 2032, relative to the existing policies scenario did not differentiate between different types of biomass fuels. The figure in Table 11 of the Clean Growth Strategy can be taken to represent a mixture of biogenic fuels, including woody biomass, waste and other sources however we have not made an estimate of which proportion will come specifically from woody biomass.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans the Government has to ensure that UK consumers can benefit from the cheapest sources of electricity.
Answered by Margot James
The design of the Capacity Market drives fierce competition with existing and new resources, of all technology types, competing together. These auctions allow the market to identify which technology type is cost efficient in delivering security of supply, creating good value outcomes for consumers. Similarly, the recent Contracts for Difference allocation round for low carbon generation has demonstrated that the costs of offshore wind have fallen significantly, driven by sustained competition for support.
We are also supporting an increase in Britain’s interconnection capacity by ensuring a stable regime under which interconnector developers can bring forward projects to enable access to cheaper electricity from Europe at times of peak demand.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
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 is taking to ensure that there is sufficient low carbon electricity generation in the UK to meet the requirements of the fifth carbon budget.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Government’s Clean Growth Strategy sets out stretching domestic policies that keep us on track to meet our carbon budgets.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans the Government has to engage the UK public with future developments and opportunities associated with the UK’s transition to a low carbon energy system.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Moving to a productive low carbon economy cannot be achieved by central government alone; instead, clean growth must be a shared endeavour with business, civil society and the British people.
To this end, the Clean Growth Strategy announced that, from 2018, Government will work with business and NGOs to introduce a Green Great Britain Week.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
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 is taking to incentivise businesses and consumers to participate in demand-side flexibility to reduce the cost of meeting the requirements of the fifth carbon budget.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Government published the Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan in July 2017, which outlined a series of actions to support the transition to a smart energy system, which could save the UK an estimated £17-40 billion up to 2050. The Plan includes measures to increase the participation of industrial and commercial consumers in demand side response (DSR), which focuses on improving access to energy markets and actively supporting National Grid’s changes to ancillary services. The Plan also details policies to enable domestic consumers to participate in DSR, including measures to increase the availability of smart tariffs and on standards for smart appliances, alongside provisions for appropriate consumer protection.