Electricity Interconnectors: Renewable Energy

(asked on 14th June 2021) - 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 steps he has taken to ensure imported electricity via interconnectors is green energy.


Answered by
Anne-Marie Trevelyan Portrait
Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This question was answered on 21st June 2021

It is not possible to ascertain the precise generation technology of electricity imports to the UK. However, it is the case that these imports come from countries which, like the UK, have committed to decarbonising their energy systems.

By acting as a source of flexibility, interconnection can allow for the most efficient use of intermittent renewables, ensuring that excess renewable generation is exported rather than curtailed. A BEIS-commissioned study, published alongside the Energy White Paper, utilised pan-European modelling to illustrate that an increased level of interconnection is likely to result in reduced emissions in both Britain and Europe to 2050[1]. This and other studies also suggest that, due to our considerable renewable energy potential, Britain may become a net electricity exporter over the coming decades.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/impact-of-interconnectors-on-decarbonisation

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