Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to encourage investment in pumped storage hydroelectricity projects.

In our Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan, published in July 2017 (and updated in October 2018), Government and Ofgem set out a range of actions to remove barriers to electricity storage. These actions seek to improve regulatory clarity and enable fair access to energy markets in order to create a best-in-class regulatory framework for the sector.

We will continue to engage storage developers, including those of pumped hydro projects, to understand how best to collaborate with the sector whilst ensuring best value for consumers and fair competition between different flexibility technologies.