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 plans to take to support renewable electricity procurement clubs to have shared Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) within the context of existing competition law; and what plans he has to bring forward changes to competition law in relation to common electricity procurement.

The UK has robust competition laws, which protect consumers from harmful behaviour and promote competitive markets. There is published guidance on how competition law can apply to cooperation between businesses, including joint purchasing agreements, which ensures that the current rules do not prevent innovative and pro-competitive behaviour. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently wrote to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to request its advice on how the UK can better use the tools available under competition law to achieve our Net Zero and sustainability goals. The CMA will provide its advice in early 2022.