Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions his Department has had with Green Deal companies on (a) minimising potential (i) disruption and (ii) distress to homeowners during environmental energy upgrades and (b) ensuring compliance with the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what funding his Department has provided to (a) support and (b) promote opportunities for domestic hydropower.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Smart Export Guarantee came into force on 1 January 2020 and requires major electricity suppliers to offer a tariff to buy electricity exported by small low-carbon generators, including small hydro.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a landscape and visual impact scheme in relation to energy infrastructure projects in rural areas.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The impacts, including visual, of energy infrastructure projects on the landscape are important considerations in decision-making, and the National Policy Statements (NPS) for energy set stringent requirements and standards on developers. Proposals for projects that are subject to the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 must be accompanied by an Environmental Statement describing the aspects of the environment, including landscape and visual impacts, likely to be significantly affected. The NPSs also set the criteria for good design for energy infrastructure, including consideration of visual appearance and how it relates to the landscape it sits within.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of using development hydropower on the sites of established historic watermills.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Officials continue to engage with the British Hydropower Association regarding the future role the UK’s remaining small-scale hydropower resource, including sites of historic watermills, can play in the UK energy system.