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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much the Government has invested in renewable energy through the Contract for Difference programme since 2010.

To date, contracts have been signed to bring forward nearly 10 gigawatts of renewable generation capacity, with the first of these recently beginning to generate. Government support for these projects is expected to rise to around £2.5 billion a year by 2024/25 (in 2011/12 prices).

Our sustained support has helped deliver dramatic falls in the costs of renewable technologies such as offshore wind.

The Government is committed to delivering clean, smart, and flexible power, which is why in our ambitious Clean Growth Strategy we committed up to £557 million of annual support for further Contracts for Difference, with the next one planned for spring 2019 (in 2011/12 prices).