Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are giving to enable the deployment of technologically mature but presently economically unviable decarbonisation technologies, such as shore power.

The government is supporting the decarbonisation of the UK Maritime sector through a two-pronged approach: R&D funding and investment; and a comprehensive policy and regulatory programme.

Building on the success of the first Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, in March 2022 the government announced a £206m R&D fund to be managed by the newly established UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE). UK SHORE will work in partnership with industry to tackle supply and demand barriers and speed the transition of the UK toward a decarbonised maritime sector. The UK SHORE programme is being scoped and is considering different kinds of projects. The programme will aim to deliver a suite of interventions transforming the UK into a global leader in the design, manufacture and operation of clean maritime technology – boosting both jobs and economic growth.

Earlier this year a 12 -week call for evidence on the uptake of shore power in the UK was launched as part of a commitment in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan. The responses to the call for evidence have been analysed and were published in July 2022. The next step is to use the evidence to develop policy proposals and consult on them later this year.