Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
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 implications for her policies of the time taken by the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning to deliver permits for energy production projects.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The UK has a comprehensive legal framework for development proposals for offshore oil and gas fields under existing licences. All activities that may impact the environment are subject to rigorous assessment as part of the environmental application process.
Regulatory decisions by the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning are made within the timeline set out in the relevant regulations. For new developments, the time taken to reach a decision depends on the complexity and nature of the project. The time taken to reach those decisions are regularly monitored and reviewed as necessary.
Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to encourage (a) investment in and (b) development of the connection between offshore oil and gas and carbon capture, usage and storage technologies.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Shadow Minister (Energy Security and Net Zero)
The skills and investment of the oil and gas sector will drive our energy transition.
A government-funded report looking at the CCUS supply chain found that oil and gas supply chain companies are in prime position to win work in carbon capture and storage.
Government is also making it easier for workers to move between different energy sectors, ensuring that their skills can be tapped into to support the transition.
The Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill introduced last year will support ongoing investment, protect the 200,000 jobs supported by oil and gas, and support the wider energy transition including CCUS development.
Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what proportion of gas used in the UK is domestically produced; if he will provide a breakdown of non-domestically produced gas used in the UK; and what steps she is taking to help reduce reliance on imported gas products.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Indigenous production of gas has been equivalent to around half of UK demand for over a decade (DUKES Chapter 4). Gas imports by origin are published in Energy Trends table 4.4.
The UK has a secure and diverse energy system and does not rely on any one source of supply. The Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill is designed to give industry certainty as to the future of licensing rounds, which will enhance the UK’s energy security and reduce its reliance on imported gas.
Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to encourage (a) investment in and (b) development of the connection between onshore oil and gas and carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) technologies.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Shadow Minister (Energy Security and Net Zero)
The skills and investment of the oil and gas sector will drive our energy transition.
A government-funded report looking at the CCUS supply chain found that oil and gas supply chain companies are in prime position to win work in carbon capture and storage.
Government is also making it easier for workers to move between different energy sectors, ensuring that their skills can be tapped into to support the transition.
The Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill introduced last year will support ongoing investment, protect the 200,000 jobs supported by oil and gas, and support the wider energy transition including CCUS development.
Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support the development of green hydrogen in Scotland.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The British Energy Security Strategy set out the Government's ambition to support up to 1GW of electrolytic hydrogen to be in construction or operational by 2025 across the UK. The first hydrogen allocation round is underway and the Government announced a shortlist of 20 electrolytic hydrogen projects in March 2023, including five projects based in Scotland, to enter the next phase of due diligence and negotiations. A second hydrogen allocation round is due to be launched before the end of 2023. In addition, four Scottish projects were also awarded funding through Strands 1 & 2 of the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund.
Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the benefits of support for green hydrogen production.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Low carbon hydrogen will be a source of clean energy which the Government can produce domestically using British skills, experience and natural resources. The British Energy Security Strategy sets out the Government's ambition for 10GW of hydrogen by 2030, of which at least half will be electrolytic, and to have up to 1GW of electrolytic hydrogen in construction or operation by 2025.
Government analysis suggests that by 2030 the hydrogen sector could support over 12,000 jobs, unlocking over £11 billion in private investment.
Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support the application of green hydrogen in Scotland.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The British Energy Security Strategy set out the Government's ambition to support up to 1GW of electrolytic hydrogen to be in construction or operational by 2025 across the UK. The first hydrogen allocation round is underway and the Government announced a shortlist of 20 electrolytic hydrogen projects in March 2023, including five projects based in Scotland, to enter the next phase of due diligence and negotiations. A second hydrogen allocation round is due to be launched before the end of 2023. In addition, four Scottish projects were also awarded funding through Strands 1 & 2 of the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund.
Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the time taken to implement the Track-2 process of carbon capture, utilisation and storage on carbon dioxide capture targets.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government has been developing the process for Track 2 ensuring experience and knowledge gained from Track 1 is embedded.
Track 2 will ensure that the UK deploys four clusters by 2030 at the latest in order to meet the ambition to capture and store this 20-30Mtpa.
Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to publish the Track-2 timeline for the Carbon Capture Usage and Storage sequencing programme.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government has been developing the process for Track 2 and will set out details in the spring.
Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to commence a withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty in the event that the modernisation package negotiated in 2022 is not approved; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The UK has been a strong advocate for ECT modernisation. At the Energy Charter Conference on 22 November, the decision to adopt the modernised Treaty was postponed. The UK has been closely monitoring the situation surrounding the Energy Charter Treaty’s modernisation process, including the positions taken by other Contracting Parties.