Asked by: Karl McCartney (Conservative - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential role of synthetic fuels in meeting net zero targets.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Whilst synthetic fuels can be expensive and energy intensive to manufacture, they have the potential to contribute to the decarbonisation of transport sectors where there are limited alternatives, such as in aviation. In recognition of the potential benefits of synthetic fuels produced using renewable power, these fuels are eligible for support under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) certificate trading scheme.
Power-to-liquid (PtL) synthetic fuels will benefit from a specific target in the Department’s forthcoming Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) mandate scheme to accelerate their commercial advancement.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) hydrotreated vegetable oil and (b) other alternative low-carbon solutions to heat pumps on the level of consumer choice.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government published impact assessments alongside consultations on phasing out the installation of fossil fuel heating off the gas grid, on 19 October 2021. The Government will respond to those consultations and set out further details in due course.
The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) scheme continues to drive a market for low carbon liquid fuels. Under the RTFO scheme, sustainable low carbon liquid fuels, including hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), are eligible for support when used in road transport and forms of non-road mobile machinery, with waste-based fuels such as HVO derived from used cooking oil benefitting from twice the reward available to low carbon fuels produced from crops.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department is taking steps to (a) help increase the capture and reuse of used cooking oil and (b) support the domestic production of (i) hydrotreated vegetable oil and (ii) other low-carbon liquid fuels.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government published impact assessments alongside consultations on phasing out the installation of fossil fuel heating off the gas grid, on 19 October 2021. The Government will respond to those consultations and set out further details in due course.
The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) scheme continues to drive a market for low carbon liquid fuels. Under the RTFO scheme, sustainable low carbon liquid fuels, including hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), are eligible for support when used in road transport and forms of non-road mobile machinery, with waste-based fuels such as HVO derived from used cooking oil benefitting from twice the reward available to low carbon fuels produced from crops.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken steps to build energy generation partnerships on a bilateral basis with Nepal.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is implementing its Climate Smart Development Programme in Nepal. This will promote renewable energy access by supporting the Government of Nepal to further access climate finance and leverage both public and private investments to meet its adaptation and mitigation targets. Similarly, the Government of Nepal, UK, World Bank and 15 other Development Partners (DPs) endorsed the Kathmandu Declaration on Green, Resilient and Inclusive Development (GRID) in September 2021. This will advance Nepal's climate pathway through investment in forestry, agriculture, clean energy, sustainable tourism, clean transport programs and climate smart urbanisation.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what financial assistance his Department is providing to Colombia to help tackle the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest and transition to renewable energy.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
At COP27 the UK and Colombia renewed our bilateral 'Partnership for Sustainable Growth' to further deepen cooperation on fighting climate change, including through efforts to protect nature and halt deforestation in the Amazon. Colombia has ambitious national decarbonisation plans and has committed to achieve zero net deforestation by 2030. Our Partnership for Sustainable Growth will support the delivery of these targets, including through the UK's flagship £64 million 'Sustainable Forest Territories' Programme ('TEFOS'), which supports the protection of forests in high-deforestation, conflict affected areas.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reassess biomass electricity's classification as both a renewable and carbon neutral energy source.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government considers sustainable biomass a renewable, low carbon energy source.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what knowledge they had, if any, of renewable energy company Drax purchasing licences to cut down trees from primary forests in Canada to make wood pellets for its power station in Yorkshire, as alleged in the BBC's Panorama investigation, which aired on 3 October.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The regulator Ofgem is responsible for auditing the sustainability of biomass used by biomass electricity generators which receive support under the Renewables Obligation and has a process in place for this. As is routine, Ofgem is establishing whether the biomass sustainability criteria have been met by the generator. These criteria ensure that only sustainable biomass is used to produce renewable electricity. Sustainability information is publicly available on Ofgem’s website.
To receive support generators must follow sustainable management practices that require the maintenance and replanting of the forest, demonstration that deforestation is not occurring where they source material from, and that biodiversity, soil and water are protected, among other requirements.
Asked by: Pauline Latham (Conservative - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, (a) on what basis his Department decided to begin subsidising the burning of wood pellets at Drax power station, (b) for how long that subsidy has been in place and (c) if he will halt that subsidy and carry out a full review of the evidence basis for the policy.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Sustainable biomass can be used to produce renewable and low-carbon electricity and has system benefits, such as dispatchability and inertia, and stable established supply chains and prices, providing energy security within a net zero consistent energy system.
Drax has been supported under the Renewables Obligation since 2011, and under the Contracts for Difference scheme since 21st December 2016 to generate renewable electricity. There is no cost to the public purse as both schemes are paid for by compulsory levies on electricity suppliers.
The Government only supports sustainable biomass and generators only receive subsidies for biomass that complies with the UK’s strict sustainability criteria.
The forthcoming Biomass Strategy will detail the Government’s assessment of the priority use of biomass across the economy.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason his Department provided renewable subsidies to Drax for the burning of imported wood.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Renewables Obligation and Contracts for Difference schemes were set up to support the establishment of new low-carbon electricity generation projects, helping to reduce reliance on fossils fuels. Sustainable biomass can be used to produce renewable and low-carbon electricity. It has numerous system benefits from dispatchability to inertia, with stable established supply chains, providing energy security within a net zero consistent energy system.
The Government only supports sustainable biomass and generators only receive subsidies for biomass that complies with the UK’s strict sustainability criteria.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment his Department has made of the reliability of biomass as a method of producing electricity.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Sustainable biomass can be used to produce renewable and low-carbon electricity and has numerous system benefits from dispatchability to inertia, stable established supply chains and prices, providing energy security within a net zero consistent energy system.
The sun does not always shine and the wind does not always blow. Biomass helps to balance the energy grid when this is the case.