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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress he has made on the preparation of Contracts for Difference Auction Round 4; what changes he is planning on support for wave and tidal technology deployment in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

As announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister in October 2020, the next Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction round (Allocation Round 4) is due to open in late 2021. Preparations for the round are ongoing, and we will publish the timetable for the round and information on allocation round parameters later this year.

The Government recently ran a Call for Evidence inviting views on the scope for marine technologies across the UK. This concluded on 30th September 2020 and we are currently reviewing the responses received. Wave and tidal stream projects remain eligible to compete in pot 2 for CfD auctions and will be considered in the wider context of setting auction parameters.