Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made with Ofgem of the potential merits of allocating more funding to local power grids to help ensure the reliability of levels of power supplied to rural communities.

The Government is engaging with Ofgem to ensure that the distribution price control enable the required local infrastructure to power local communities. The current electricity distribution price control (RIIO-ED2 2023-2028) has allowed £22.2bn for upfront investment in low voltage networks, including £3.1bn for network upgrades. For the next price control ED3 (2028 to 2033), Ofgem will rely on Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs) to inform distribution network investment plans and will accommodate forecasted electricity demand to ensure reliable local power grid fit for the net zero transition.