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Written Question
Ministry of Defence: Renewable Energy
Wednesday 27th March 2024

Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much and what proportion of the energy used by his Department is from renewable sources.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

In financial year (FY) 2022-23 1.2% of Ministry of Defence (MOD) electricity consumption was generated directly from renewable sources. The majority of MOD electricity supply comes from the National Grid, of which a sizable proportion is generated from renewable sources. The proportion of renewable sources used in the National Grid varies but based on Government figures published for the UK in December 2023, renewable generation reached 44.5%.

MOD's energy consumption figures are published in the Department's Annual Report and Accounts (ARAC).


Written Question
Energy: National Grid
Tuesday 26th March 2024

Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made an estimate of the number of energy projects waiting to be connected to the national grid.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Data from the Electricity System Operator (ESO) shows that there were 1530 energy projects in the transmission connection queue at the end of February 2024.


Written Question
National Grid: Scotland
Thursday 21st March 2024

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the amount of additional power generated in (a) Scotland and (b) Scottish waters that will be transferred to England under the transitional centralised strategic network plan.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Electricity System Operator (ESO) published their report ‘Beyond 2030: a national blueprint for a decarbonised electricity system’ this week. Ministers have made no such estimate since its publication.

The report notes that Scotland has nearly 15 GW of operational renewable capacity and the ScotWind offshore wind leasing round awarded a total capacity of approximately 28GW. In 2022, peak winter demand in Scotland was around 5 GW. The Electricity System Operator (ESO) has assumed a significant increase in demand of 10 GW by 2035. However, there will remain a surplus of generation in Scotland which will need to be transmitted to centres of demand across Great Britain. More detail is included in the ESO’s report.

https://www.nationalgrideso.com/document/304756/download


Written Question
National Grid: Scotland
Thursday 21st March 2024

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an estimate of the revenue that would accrue to the Scottish Government as a consequence of the additional energy transmission from Scotland that will be put on the national grid under the transitional centralised strategic network plan.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The transitional centralised strategic network plan (tCSNP) will connect offshore wind projects from the ScotWind seabed leasing round. Once operational, projects will pay rent to the Crown Estate Scotland which pays its profits to Scottish Government. The amount of revenue from rent will depend upon the amount of electricity generated.

Independent analysis commissioned by the Electricity System Operator suggests that, by 2035, recommendations in the CSNP report could add up to £5.22 billion to the Scottish economy and support an average of 6,000 jobs each year.


Written Question
National Grid: Scotland
Thursday 21st March 2024

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the proposed additional (a) cable and (b) grid connections will be between (i) Scotland and Scottish Waters and (ii) the rest of the UK as part of the transitional centralised strategic network plan.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Electricity System Operator’s (ESO) report: ‘Beyond 2030: a national blueprint for a decarbonised electricity system’ includes proposals to install new circuits to reinforce the network between Scotland and the rest of Great Britain, helping to connect the ScotWind projects to the Great Britain electricity grid and transmit the electricity on to consumers. The total capacity of the additional links between Scotland and the rest of Great Britain is 6.8GW. More detail is included in the ESO’s report.


Written Question
Iron and Steel: Port Talbot
Tuesday 19th March 2024

Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the electricity transmission network is sufficient to allow for the replacement of the Port Talbot steel works blast furnaces with electric arc furnaces.

Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Tata Steel and National Grid have been working closely to ensure the deliverability of a grid connection in line with the project requirements.


Written Question
Electric Cables: Rural Areas
Monday 18th March 2024

Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has had recent discussions with National Grid on the installation of large electricity pylons in the countryside.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government does not plan or develop energy infrastructure and the regulatory framework for the UK's independent energy industry is set by Ofgem. Ministers and officials engage with National Grid Electricity Transmission regularly as part of the usual policy making process. This includes but is not limited to discussing network infrastructure. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State last met senior representatives from National Grid on Tuesday 12th March at a stakeholder reception.


Written Question
National Grid: Infrastructure
Wednesday 13th March 2024

Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions she has had with the National Grid on improving the timetable for connecting infrastructure projects to the national grid.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government is working with Ofgem, the Electricity System Operator and network companies to accelerate network connections. Since the Connections Action Plan[1] was published in November 2023, over 40GW of projects have been offered earlier grid connection dates, accelerating up to £40bn of investment. In the coming months we will decide on further action to ensure only viable projects can retain their connection agreements. In addition, from next January a new process will prevent projects being offered a specific connection date until they demonstrate sufficient progress towards connecting to the grid.

[1] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/655dd873d03a8d001207fe56/connections-action-plan.pdf


Written Question
National Grid
Monday 11th March 2024

Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many projects that have been granted grid access which have (a) stalled and (b) ceased entirely have been removed from the national grid connection queue in the last year.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Data from the Electricity System Operator (ESO) shows that 31 projects have been removed from the transmission connections queue since 1 March 2023. Of these 31 projects, 13 terminated their agreements voluntarily as part of the ESO’s Transmission Entry Capacity (TEC) Amnesty.

As set out at Budget, the ESO has begun the process of inserting delivery milestones into over 1000 connection agreements, enabling it to terminate stalled projects from Autumn 2024. The Government will also work with the ESO and network companies to outline further reforms by summer 2024 to raise barriers to entering and remaining in the queue.


Written Question
National Grid
Monday 11th March 2024

Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus)

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of imposing financial penalties on network companies that fail to deliver grid connections on schedule.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The regulatory framework for electricity network connections is a matter for the independent regulator, Ofgem. As set out in the Connections Action Plan[1], Ofgem is undertaking a full review of existing incentives and obligations on parties, including network companies, relating to connections to ensure they are fit for purpose. This will include consideration of the use of financial incentives and penalties, as well as other regulatory levers. Ofgem will report its findings by the end of June.