Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
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 help ensure that wind turbine blades are recycled rather than placed in landfill sites.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Industry is working to develop innovative ways of recycling or reusing wind turbines. The Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, in partnership with High Value Manufacturing Catapult’s National Composites Centre, and supported by The Crown Estate, Net Zero Technology Centre and RenewableUK, launched SusWind in 2021. This project will discover and demonstrate viable ways to recycle composite wind turbine blades and explore the use of sustainable materials and processes.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
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 only 70 per cent of the wood pellets burnt in UK power stations need to be sustainably sourced in order to qualify for renewable subsidies; and what discussions he had with stakeholders in developing that policy.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The land criteria for woody biomass, which includes the definitions of legal and sustainable sourcing, were transposed into the requirements of support schemes from the Timber Standard for Heat and Electricity (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/timber-standard-for-heat-electricity) at the time of the schemes’ developments. Stakeholders have been consulted repeatedly during the development and enhancement of the UK’s biomass sustainability criteria, and the outcomes of the consultations can be found on gov.uk. This includes the last consultation on adjustments to sustainability and reporting provisions for biomass under https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/biomass-sustainability
The Government is currently reviewing its existing biomass sustainability criteria across the transport, heat and energy sectors and intends to set out recommendations for further enhancements to these in the Biomass Strategy, set to be published in late 2022.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that there is sufficient provision of technical and practical education in green skills to meet the future demands of the economy.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The government is committed to supporting green skills across the country. At the recent Spending Review, we set out investment of £3.8 billion in further education and skills over the course of the Parliament as a whole, to ensure people can access high quality training and education that leads to good jobs, addresses skills gaps, boosts productivity and supports levelling up. This includes funding for programmes to support green skills crucial to the net zero transition.
Building on the skills for jobs white paper, the Net Zero Strategy (published in October 2021) sets out how the government’s skills reforms will strengthen links between employers and providers, support workers in high carbon sectors with the transition, and help to build a pipeline of future talent.
Through the Lifetime Skills Guarantee, we are supporting workers to gain the skills they need to transition to the green economy, including through targeted support for retraining. As part of this and through the National Skills Fund investment, we are delivering Skills Bootcamps, which are short, flexible courses covering digital, technical and green skills. Green Skills Bootcamps are available in areas such as housing retrofit, solar, nuclear energy and vehicle electrification.
The Free Courses for Jobs offer has, since April 2021, been supporting adults who do not have a qualification at level 3 or higher to access over 400 level 3 courses for free. The offer currently includes qualifications linked to green sectors such as agriculture, building and construction, engineering, environmental conservation, horticulture and forestry and science. This offer replaces loan funding with grant funding for any adult over the age of 23 looking to achieve their first level 3 qualification. In addition, we have recently announced that, from April this year, any adult in England who is earning under the National Living Wage annually (£18,525), or is unemployed, will also be able to access these qualifications for free, regardless of their prior qualification level.
At post-16 level, we will continue to build on our apprenticeship reforms, to align the majority of post-16 technical education and training with employer-led standards by 2030. A strengthened system of employer-led standards, underpinning apprenticeships, T Levels and new higher technical qualifications will ensure employers, including in low carbon sectors, have a central role in designing and developing qualifications and training.
High quality apprenticeships give students of all ages the practical skills, knowledge, and behaviours to make an immediate impact across all industries. The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (the Institute) has convened a Green Apprenticeships Advisory Panel (GAAP) to work with employers to align apprenticeships to net zero objectives. Work is underway to map existing apprenticeship standards against green occupations and identify opportunities to create new standards in areas including retrofit, agri-tech and renewable energy and the GAAP has endorsed existing apprenticeships which support green career pathways.
In 2021, we introduced the first occupational traineeships, in collaboration with sector bodies, to provide a clear, planned transition to an apprenticeship at level 2 to 3 for young people aged 16 to 24. They allow young people to continue in learning with a work-based programme of training. Going forward, we will consider the potential to develop and introduce other occupational traineeships, including in priority and green sectors to ensure that young people secure the jobs of the future.
We are continuing to roll out T Levels that support green careers, providing high quality technical qualifications as an alternative to A levels which are underpinned by the same employer-led approach as apprenticeships. The building services engineering for construction T Level, launched in September 2021, will cover housing retrofit and heat pump installation. From September 2022, new T Levels will be available in engineering, manufacturing, processing and control, with agriculture, land management and production available by September 2023. The Institute is exploring the suitability of potential future T Levels and occupational specialisms, focusing on areas to support green skills.
Our network of Institutes of Technology (IoT) across England specialise in delivering higher technical education and are utilising their state of the art facilities to offer training in green skills. This includes the East London IoT which offers training in green and zero carbon energy production, and the Greater Birmingham and Solihull IoT which focuses on sustainable engineering. The network is supporting increased participation from underrepresented groups, including women, helping to grow the pipeline of individuals with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills needed for green jobs. We are investing £120 million in the second wave of IoTs, to be up and running this year.
Working alongside industry, we will continue to ensure that our existing skills programmes can be directed to support the net zero agenda, and where appropriate identify further opportunities to flex key skills programmes to support green sectors and occupations.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
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 publish a definition of sustainably sourced in relation to wood burning in domestic appliances.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Sustainability in relation to wood burning for domestic appliances varies depending on the appliance. The sustainability requirement for fuel used in the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), which support biomass boilers and pellet stoves used for heating and hot water for domestic properties, includes a greenhouse gas emissions limit and specific land criteria. These requirements are set out in the RHI regulations through the obligation for ‘approved sustainable fuel’ to be used in domestic RHI accredited installations. There is no specific sustainability requirement for fuel for other domestic appliances such as traditional open fires or wood burning stoves.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent of energy production in the UK through burning wood pellets; the supply chain carbon cost of this approach; and the difference in supply chain carbon costs between wood pellets and coal.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The use of sustainable biomass for power generation has been shown to have significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels. Statistics on energy generation from renewable sources including biomass is publicly available on the GOV.UK website. In 2020, around 9% of total electricity generated in the UK was from plant biomass, the majority of which is wood pellets.
Supply chain greenhouse gas emissions data reported as part of compliance with the UK’s stringent sustainability criteria under existing renewable energy schemes are available on Ofgem's website.
Asked by: Lord Cameron of Dillington (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have increased hydropower licence fees for run-of-river schemes by 895 per cent since 2016; and how this aligns with their ambition to generate more renewable energy.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Environment Agency (EA) is responsible for managing water resources in England to ensure there is a sustainable supply of water for the public, businesses and the environment. This work is funded by licence fees charged to businesses which abstract or impound water, including hydroelectric power (HEP) operators.
The EA is proposing to reform its water resourcing charging scheme from April 2022 so that the scheme is fairer and recovers the full costs from customers for the services they require. The EA will continue to invest in the key foundations that deliver water resource management as well as in maintaining and operating infrastructure, modernising the licensing system and protecting water stressed catchments, particularly chalk.
On average it costs the EA nearly £13,000 to assess a HEP permit application due to the significant, wide-ranging, and complex risks these schemes can pose to the environment. The EA currently charges £1,500 for HEP permit applications, which means HEP applications are currently subsidised by fees paid by other businesses. To fully recover the costs of the services HEP operators require, the EA is proposing to change HEP permit application fees, depending on the volume of water required. Unlike most other abstractors, HEP operators generating less than 5 megawatts will continue to be exempt from annual subsistence fees. The charges for HEP permit applications were last increased in 2014.
The EA ran a public consultation on the proposed charges between 18 August and 10 November 2021. It is now analysing all consultation responses to consider whether any changes to the proposals are necessary. It will publish a response document within 12 weeks of the consultation closing.
The Government acknowledges the valuable contribution of hydropower to the UK energy mix over many decades, and it is important that it operates in a way that safeguards the environment.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make it her policy to end UK Government support for Liquid Natural Gas in Mozambique in the context of the UK’s climate commitments under the Paris and Glasgow COP Agreements.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK is committed to working with countries across the world to support their transitions away from fossil fuels. Mozambique's primary energy challenge is providing access to clean, reliable, affordable energy to all. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) can improve energy access, boost the economy and jobs, and reduce deforestation through lowering the demand for wood for energy. That is why this LNG investment was supported by the World Bank and the African Development Bank, to help ensure Mozambique meets the Sustainable Development Goals. Mozambican natural gas is among the cleanest in the world in terms of carbon intensity, and the Government of Mozambique and major gas operators have committed to the use of carbon capture and storage to decarbonize the gas prior to export. The Government of Mozambique considers gas revenues an important source of investment to support its energy transition, in line with its Nationally Determined Contribution and Paris Agreement commitments, including a commitment to reach 62% renewable energy by 2030.
The UK's targeted support for LNG in Mozambique will therefore help ensure a just and clean energy transition. The UK is also supporting the development of Mozambique's renewables potential, including support for renewable hydrogen, and through £20 million of UKAid for private sector investment in off-grid renewables which has already reached 250,000 people in rural areas and is set to reach 750,000 by 2023. The UK is also mobilising £520 million in private financing to expand access to the power grid.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the (a) UK's support for Liquid Natural Gas in Mozambique and (b) compatibility of that support with the UK’s climate commitments under the Paris and Glasgow COP Agreements.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK is committed to working with countries across the world to support their transitions away from fossil fuels. Mozambique's primary energy challenge is providing access to clean, reliable, affordable energy to all. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) can improve energy access, boost the economy and jobs, and reduce deforestation through lowering the demand for wood for energy. That is why this LNG investment was supported by the World Bank and the African Development Bank, to help ensure Mozambique meets the Sustainable Development Goals. Mozambican natural gas is among the cleanest in the world in terms of carbon intensity, and the Government of Mozambique and major gas operators have committed to the use of carbon capture and storage to decarbonize the gas prior to export. The Government of Mozambique considers gas revenues an important source of investment to support its energy transition, in line with its Nationally Determined Contribution and Paris Agreement commitments, including a commitment to reach 62% renewable energy by 2030.
The UK's targeted support for LNG in Mozambique will therefore help ensure a just and clean energy transition. The UK is also supporting the development of Mozambique's renewables potential, including support for renewable hydrogen, and through £20 million of UKAid for private sector investment in off-grid renewables which has already reached 250,000 people in rural areas and is set to reach 750,000 by 2023. The UK is also mobilising £520 million in private financing to expand access to the power grid.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the paper by Chatham House and Woodwell Climate Research Center, published on 14 October 2021, what steps he is taking to help reduce the use of biomass for energy production and to increase the use of renewable sources, including wind and solar power, in the context of the finding that treating biomass from forests as a zero-carbon fuel risks not being in line with the Paris Agreement.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Sustainable biomass has played a vital role in the UK’s decarbonisation efforts to date and is an important part of the UK’s renewable energy mix. The Government recognises the need to ensure that biomass is prioritised where it brings about GHG emission reductions in hard to decarbonise sectors without other viable alternatives. The CCC and the National Grid’s 2020 Future Energy Scenarios indicated that it is not possible to achieve net zero without Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS). The Government has committed to establishing the role that BECCS could play in reducing carbon emissions across the economy.
The Government will continue to support a diversity of renewable technologies including wind and solar, through the Contracts for Difference scheme. The next allocation round will open in December 2021, with a draft budget of £265 million. In the Net Zero Strategy, the Government has committed to a sustained increase in the deployment of renewable generation technologies, such as solar and onshore wind in the 2020s and beyond, and to deliver 40GW from offshore wind by 2030.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the (a) potential effect of subsidies given to companies burning biomass for power generation on the UK's carbon emissions and (b) potential merits of redirecting that funding to more renewable sources.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Sustainable biomass has played a vital role in the UK’s decarbonisation efforts to date and is an important part of the UK’s renewable energy mix. The Government recognises the need to ensure that biomass is prioritised where it brings about GHG emission reductions in hard to decarbonise sectors without other viable alternatives. The CCC and the National Grid’s 2020 Future Energy Scenarios indicated that it is not possible to achieve net zero without Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS). The Government has committed to establishing the role that BECCS could play in reducing carbon emissions across the economy.
The Government will continue to support a diversity of renewable technologies including wind and solar, through the Contracts for Difference scheme. The next allocation round will open in December 2021, with a draft budget of £265 million. In the Net Zero Strategy, the Government has committed to a sustained increase in the deployment of renewable generation technologies, such as solar and onshore wind in the 2020s and beyond, and to deliver 40GW from offshore wind by 2030.