Radio Frequencies: Carbon Emissions

(asked on 9th February 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the viability of the allocation of radio spectrum to the energy network operators to accelerate decarbonisation of the UK economy, following the decision of German and Republic of Ireland Regulators to enable radio spectrum allocation to facilitate the transition to net zero.


Answered by
Julia Lopez Portrait
Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This question was answered on 25th February 2022

This Government is committed to reaching our net zero targets. Harnessing the potential of the spectrum will be crucial to helping us do this.

Ofcom is responsible for managing and authorising spectrum use and DCMS will continue to work with Ofcom on the potential allocation of spectrum to energy sector and other users so as to help us reach our net zero targets.

As outlined in its Plan of Work 21/22, Ofcom is reviewing the role of spectrum in supporting the energy sector to meet government targets on carbon neutrality and manage new distribution models. Ofcom is working with energy operators and other stakeholders in the sector to understand future spectrum requirements, and closely follows the progress of other international spectrum regulators in enabling smart grids.

DCMS Officials have attended multilateral meetings with BEIS officials, Ofcom, Ofgem, and industry representatives, as well as industry-led events regarding the allocation of radio spectrum to the energy network operators. DCMS officials have also met bilaterally with representatives from the Energy Networks Association (ENA) and the Joint Radio Company (JRC), a joint venture between the ENA and National Grid, to discuss the radio spectrum needs of the gas and electricity network operators. DCMS officials are in close contact with BEIS on this issue.

The Government will continue to work with Ofcom and other key stakeholders to help find a suitable, sustainable spectrum solution for energy networks.

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