Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the provision of reliable base-load electricity in delivering Sustainable Development Goals other than goal seven.
Energy poverty puts a brake on economic and social development and undermines the lives of hundreds of millions of people. Our policy is to support a range of generation technologies and distribution approaches (grid, off-grid, mini-grid), including base-load electricity when we can clearly add value. Reliable power from base-load electricity and other sources contributes to a number of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is crucial, for example, to controlling costs for businesses that might otherwise need to run expensive generators to maintain production (SDG 9). There is a knock on effect to employment, incomes and a range of associated social indicators. Reliable power is also crucial for running public services – such as water and sanitation systems or health clinics – effectively (SDGs 3 and 6) and can help increase school enrolment and attendance rates (SDG 4).