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 is taking to (a) improve resilience in the national electricity grid system so that blackout events, such as that which occurred after Storm Arwen, are not repeated, and (b) ensure that should blackout events occur after storm situations, emergency and response services have means to power their electric vehicles and equipment, and (c) diversify sources of energy so that at times of low wind and solar power, there is sufficient energy to meet demand from non-fossil fuel sources.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has commissioned a post-incident review into Storm Arwen to identify lessons and best practice for communications, resourcing and system resilience.

As the independent regulator for energy, Ofgem has also announced it will undertake a review into the impact of Storm Arwen. This will focus on the role of the network companies in maintaining the resilience of the system and their emergency response.

The Government is committed to maintaining high levels of energy resilience as the sector decarbonises. Great Britain benefits from a diverse electricity mix and is therefore not dependent on any one technology or market participant to ensure security of supply.