Asked by: Nigel Adams (Conservative - Selby and Ainsty)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what incentives her Department (a) is providing and (b) is planning to provide for (i) biomass and (ii) gas generation to create additional capacity.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Support is provided for biomass under a range of renewable financial incentives: the Renewables Obligation (RO), Feed in Tariff (FIT), Contracts for Difference (CfD) and Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). The RO closed to co-firing and conversions last year and any future support will be via CfD.
The government announced it will hold three auctions for Contracts for Difference of up to £730 million this Parliament. Details of the future CFD allocation rounds will be published in due course.
The Government confirmed increased funding for the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme in November 2015 as part of the Spending Review, with the annual budget rising from £430m in 2015/16 to £1.15bn in 2020/21.
Getting new gas-fired stations built is a priority for Government and we are confident that the Capacity Market is the right mechanism to bring forward new capacity as older less efficient plants close. We have announced that we are going buy more capacity in December’s auction, tighten delivery incentives and bring forward the first capacity market delivery year to 2017/18. This should improve the chances of new gas (CCGTs, OCGTS and gas engines) capacity clearing in future auctions. Subject to a forthcoming consultation, closing unabated coal by 2025 will further strengthen investment signals for new gas. In addition, DECC is working with the planning inspectorate to arrange a workshop in June to explain how developers can use the pre-application project planning process to ensure applications for new gas plants are progressed as swiftly as possible.
Asked by: Nigel Adams (Conservative - Selby and Ainsty)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the closure of coal-fired power stations on (a) job losses and employment trends in the energy sector and (b) power generation; and what plans her Department has to mitigate those losses.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Coal is the most carbon intensive form of electricity generation and is not consistent with our decarbonisation plans, which is why the Secretary of State has announced an intention to consult on ending unabated coal generation by 2025.
The Capacity Market is designed to bring forward the capacity we need as older plant such as coal come of the system. On 6 May 2016 we announced changes to the Capacity Market to buy more capacity and earlier; tighten the sanctions on those who fail to deliver on their obligations; and bolster energy security in the short–term by holding a new auction bringing forward the first Capacity Market delivery year to 2017/18.
Asked by: Nigel Adams (Conservative - Selby and Ainsty)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, by what technical mechanisms her Department plans to take coal-fired power plants offline.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has announced that the Department will be launching a consultation on proposals to end unabated coal generation by 2025. Options will be set out in that consultation.
Asked by: Nigel Adams (Conservative - Selby and Ainsty)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what plans her Department has for ensuring an orderly shutdown of coal-fired power plants as the Government moves towards taking all coal-fired power plants offline by 2025; and what consideration her Department has given to the numerous technical mechanisms that necessarily entail removing all coal-fired stations simultaneously.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has announced that the Department will be launching a consultation on proposals to end unabated coal generation by 2025. Options will be set out in that consultation.
Asked by: Nigel Adams (Conservative - Selby and Ainsty)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department plans to take in preparation for the European Commission's review of the Artist's Resale Right.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The European Commission has not yet set a date for a periodic review of ARR. When this happens, the Intellectual Property Office will draw on existing material and consult afresh with its stakeholders for the latest evidence to inform the review.