Electricity: Rural Areas

(asked on 19th November 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with electricity network distribution operators on investment in rural electricity grids to meet potential demand as a result of a transition to electric vehicles.


Answered by
Kwasi Kwarteng Portrait
Kwasi Kwarteng
This question was answered on 24th November 2020

Ensuring the adequacy of local electricity grids is the responsibility of Distribution Network Operators (DNOs), and they are incentivised to do so through the regulatory framework set out by Ofgem, the independent regulator. Network investment is therefore a matter for Ofgem. However, I recognise the importance of electricity distribution network investment in meeting our objectives for the electrification of transport, taking into account the particular issues that rural areas may face such as longer distances to substations. BEIS officials regularly meet DNOs covering both rural and urban areas to discuss the impacts of the electric vehicle transition and the benefits that local area energy planning can bring in coordinating transport and electricity policy and investment.

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