Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to strengthen incentives for long‑term investment in network resilience in rural and storm‑impacted areas.

Maintaining the resilience of the energy system is one of Government’s top priorities. We work with industry and Ofgem to ensure that sufficient investment is made into rural power networks, but also that support is provided when power cuts do occur.

The independent regulator, Ofgem, regulates Distribution Network Operators through a price control process. This includes incentives to reduce the frequency and duration of power interruptions, no matter the cause, and to invest in and maintain infrastructure to guarantee minimum standards of service.

Following the Storm Arwen Review, operators have made significant improvements to system resilience during severe weather events.