Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the geographical location of the Long Duration Energy Storage projects on Ofgem's ‘minded-to’ decisions list for cap & floor support in the context of the concentration of intermittent renewable generation capacity operating and planned in the south and south-west of Scotland; and what consultation she has had with Ofgem to ensure that cap and floor support is appropriately correlated with the regional presence of large-scale renewable generation, with particular reference to that area.

Long duration electricity storage (LDES) allows excess renewable generation to be stored and then used at peak times, helping to maximise the use of low-cost homegrown energy and reduce reliance on expensive global gas markets. New LDES will be built for the first time in over forty years under the cap and floor policy brought in by this government.

Ofgem is the independent regulator and decision maker for the cap and floor scheme appointed by government to deliver the policy. It assessed all projects through its Multi Criteria Assessment framework, with analytical support from NESO on whole system impacts. This assessment included consideration of locational factors.