Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much and what proportion of the UK's energy needs are met by gas imports; and what is the source of those imports (a) by volume and (b) as a proportion of the total.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Gas imports were equivalent to 18 per cent of total gross energy supply (production + imports), and 56 per cent of total gross gas supply in the last five years (2018-2022) (DUKES 1.1).
Gas imports by origin are published in Energy Trends 4.4.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when the Government expects the first modular nuclear reactor to operate in the UK; and what stages must be passed through to achieve that.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In 2023 Great British Nuclear launched a technology selection process for Small Modular Reactors, with the aim of identifying those technologies best able to facilitate a project Final Investment Decision by the end of the next Parliament and operational projects in the mid-2030s, potentially releasing billions of pounds of private and public investment.
In October 2023 six technology vendors were down-selected and announced.
The next stage of the competitive selection process will be launched within weeks. The ambition is to announce in 2024 which of the six companies the Government will support.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, for what reason Band E properties in (a) England will be excluded from the Great British Insulation Scheme and (b) Scotland and Wales will be included in that scheme.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government chose to offer support to households in Council Tax bands A-D in England and A–E in Scotland and Wales. These Council Tax bands capture a similar proportion of eligible homes in each nation, around 81%, 86%, and 87% for England, Scotland and Wales respectively.
These Council Tax bands serve as a proxy for income, ensuring the scheme proportionately captures low- to mid-income households in each nation. Such households are more likely to be at risk of struggling to pay their energy bills and are ineligible for support through other energy efficiency schemes.