Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to enable community energy projects to sell energy directly to local households and businesses; and how this will support local communities to take greater control of their energy supply and reduce energy bills.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This Government is hugely ambitious about the role that community energy will play in achieving our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower. On 10 February 2026, we announced the Local Power Plan: a joint DESNZ-Great British Energy (GBE) publication setting out the UK’s largest ever public investment in community energy, up to £1 billion.
The Department recognises the requests to take steps to better enable local energy markets and trading to lower bills and increase the resilience of the electricity networks.
The Department is investigating barriers to local supply, and is working with Ofgem, GBE and relevant stakeholders to find solutions that work in the best interests of local generators and consumers.
The Department is actively exploring policy options that will unlock Smart Local Energy Systems. Ofgem and Elexon’s work on code modifications, like P441, will help more community energy groups identify and understand the different routes to market in order to sell their energy. Industry feedback will inform the Draft Modification Report considered by the Panel on the 12 March leading to the Final Modification Report submitted to Ofgem on the 17 March.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has considered flexible or compensatory approaches to EPC compliance, where upgrades are not technically or financially viable.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Having an EPC is a requirement for property owners selling or renting a property. Landlords of rented homes may also need to upgrade their properties to meet minimum energy efficiency standards. There are a number of existing exemptions for the private rented sector, who, since 2020, have been required to meet an EPC E standard or have a valid exemption. The government recently confirmed the standard will be increased for privately rented homes, and a new standard will be introduced for the social rented sector.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to support community energy projects.
Answered by Ed Miliband - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
My Department and Great British Energy have engaged extensively with the community energy sector in developing the Local Power Plan.
I will shortly be making a statement to this House about the Local Power Plan which represents an unprecedented £1bn investment in community energy across our country.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his correspondence of 10 June 2025, if he will ask the Minister for Energy to meet with the hon. Member for the South Cotswolds.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I have asked my office to contact the hon Member to find an appropriate date.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what conclusions he has come to about the potential risks of foreign investment in our utilities sector.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government takes the security and resilience of UK energy infrastructure extremely seriously with the UK being one of the most reliable and safest energy systems, and one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world. Maintaining a secure energy supply is a key priority for the UK Government.
We have a range of effective measures in place which give the Government powers to balance an open investment environment to facilitate growth with protecting the areas of our economy that are the most sensitive to national security.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
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 extending minimum EPC C requirements to include self-catering holiday lets on (a) rural tourism, (b) small businesses and (c) local economies; and if he will review his Department's decision to apply these regulations to short-term holiday accommodation.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government recently consulted on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector. The consultation included proposals for rented homes to achieve Energy Performance Certificate C or equivalent by 2030. We have sought views on whether short-term lets should be included in the scope of our changes, to help ensure a consistent standard across all private rented properties. We received a significant number of responses and have engaged widely with stakeholders on our proposals. A government response will be published in due course.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what comparative assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) small nuclear power plants and (b) large-scale solar farms.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As set out in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, a power system run on low carbon generation with renewables providing the vast majority of generation, supported by nuclear, can form the basis of a clean, affordable and secure energy system. This assessment was supported by independent advice from the National Energy System Operator (NESO), whose clean power scenarios highlighted the importance of different technologies working in combination. The Department continues to model a range of different energy mixes and scenarios to support policy decisions.
Alongside the Scottish and Welsh Governments, we have also jointly commissioned NESO to develop a Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP). The SSEP will assess infrastructure potential on a zonal basis as well as the quantities and types of energy infrastructure required to meet our future energy demand with the clean, affordable and secure supply that we need. The first SSEP will be published in 2026.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
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 adequacy of the financial history of Macquarie Asset Management; and what weight is given to past financial performance in the assessment process for major energy infrastructure applications.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government does not comment on individual applications. Any applicant seeking development consent for an energy-related nationally significant infrastructure project must submit a Funding Statement as part of the application process. The Funding Statement is reviewed by the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State for adequacy of funding to cover the applicant’s liabilities for the project. Past financial performance does not hold any weight when the Secretary of State considers the overall planning balance.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps the Government is taking to ensure households who have installed solar panels are benefitting from the wholesale rise in energy.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Households with solar panels benefit through significantly reduced electricity bills. They can also export the excess energy they generate to the grid, and receive payment for doing so, via the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). The SEG is a market-led mechanism that captures the value of small-scale exported electricity and was introduced to help meet net zero commitments at the lowest cost to consumers and businesses.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the total acreage of land is in the UK that is currently covered by solar farms; and what the acreage is for which planning permission for solar farms has been granted.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
According to a report on energy trends published by DESNZ, as of September 2024 ground-mount solar PV panels covered an estimated 21,200 hectares (52,000 acres), which is only around 0.1 per cent of the total land area of the UK. While such information is not currently available for projects that have been granted planning permission, we are working on expanding the coverage of the data to all projects in the pipeline.