Oral Answers to Questions

Tim Yeo Excerpts

Thursday 4th September 2014 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Mr Tim Yeo (South Suffolk) (Con)]

1. What assessment he has made of the security of the UK's energy supply.

[Nic Dakin (Scunthorpe) (Lab)]

5. What steps he is taking to increase the UK’s energy security.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (Mr Edward Davey)]

We have taken a number of measures to ensure the security of the UK’s energy supply, including introducing new electricity system balancing measures. Our recent national gas risk assessment demonstrated that our gas infrastructure is resilient. In the autumn, I will publish the statutory security of supply report for 2014, which will provide a further assessment of our energy security, and set out my response to the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets’ recent electricity capacity report. We have also engaged closely with EU and G7 partners on measures to increase the EU’s energy security.

[Mr Yeo]

Does my right hon. Friend agree that one of the most cost-effective as well as greenest ways to address concerns about security is through greater use of demand-side response, which has been successfully deployed at scale in the United States? Will he undertake to ensure that the treatment of demand-side response providers in the forthcoming capacity market and the transitional arrangements is no less favourable than those available to electricity generators?

[Mr Davey]

I am pleased at the way in which our demand-side measures have been advancing. They are something on which I have placed a lot of stress. I know that my Minister of State appeared before my hon. Friend’s Committee when it was investigating this matter. We certainly want to ensure that we move forward on this and that there is nothing in the way of taking up more demand-side measures.