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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment has he made of the potential merits of pumped hydro storage; what discussions his Department has held with developers on that matter; what steps he is taking to support a route to market for pumped hydro; and if he will make a statement.

Electricity storage, including pumped hydro storage, is an essential technology for a net zero energy system. It provides flexibility to the energy system which, alongside other technologies such as demand side response and interconnection, could unlock savings of up to £12 billion per year by 2050. The Government and Ofgem’s 2017 Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan set out a range of actions to facilitate the deployment of storage of all sizes by removing regulatory barriers, reforming markets, and investing in innovation.

Following engagement with industry over the past year, we announced in the Energy White Paper that we will publish a new Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan in spring 2021 in partnership with Ofgem. This will outline our next steps for addressing barriers to smart and flexible technologies, including the deployment of large scale and longer duration storage such as pumped hydro storage.