Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the impact of introducing hydrogen into the gas transmission network on the growth of the (a) hydrogen production and (b) renewable energy industries.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government aims to make a policy decision on whether to blend hydrogen into the existing gas distribution networks in 2023, subject to the outcomes from ongoing economic and safety assessments and strategic considerations, including potential impacts on hydrogen production and the wider energy system. The initial 2023 policy decision will consider distribution-level blending only. The Government will assess the case for blending at transmission-level, which may be subject to a separate policy decision at a later date. There are additional considerations associated with transmission level blending that will be factored in as part of the assessment.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to announce his policy on blending hydrogen into the gas transmission network.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government aims to make a policy decision on whether to blend hydrogen into the existing gas distribution networks in 2023, subject to the outcomes from ongoing economic and safety assessments and strategic considerations, including potential impacts on hydrogen production and the wider energy system. The initial 2023 policy decision will consider distribution-level blending only. The Government will assess the case for blending at transmission-level, which may be subject to a separate policy decision at a later date. There are additional considerations associated with transmission level blending that will be factored in as part of the assessment.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to support households that did not receive support from the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Fund or the Energy Bills Support Scheme.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) provided £400 to households with a domestic electricity meter. The Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF) provided £400 to around 900,000 households who were not supplied by a domestic electricity contract and who were unable to receive support automatically through EBSS. EBSS was operational until March 2023, and EBSS AF was open until 31 May 2023.
To protect public funds against potentially fraudulent activity, the Government required people applying for EBBS AF to show proof of address, such as a tenancy agreement or a utility bill. The Government understands that some households may not have been able to provide this evidence, which meant they were not able to apply for EBBS AF. The Government is working to determine if there is a robust method for these households to provide proof of their sole residence, whilst protecting public funds, so that support can be made available.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he expects the Energy Efficiency Taskforce to publish a report by 20 July 2023.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Energy Efficiency Taskforce is working through its ideas and a specific publication date for their action plan will follow. Progress is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/energy-efficiency-taskforce
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2023 to Question 186589, what steps he plans to take to set out that formal vision for the Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage sector.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government plans to engage with key stakeholders across the sectors of hydrogen, power, industry and greenhouse gas removals. The Government will use this engagement to help develop its vision for the CCUS sector in the 2030s and there are plans to set out the vision later this year.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy's publication entitled Facilitating the deployment of large-scale and long-duration electricity storage, published 3 August 2022, when his Department will announce the next steps it is taking to introduce large-scale, long-duration electricity storage by 2024; and whether this will be open to consultation.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As outlined in the Powering Up Britain and British Energy Security Strategy we will put in place an appropriate framework by 2024 to enable investment in large scale long duration electricity storage (LLES), with the goal of deploying sufficient storage capacity to balance the overall system. We are currently undertaking the next phase of policy development to assess what policy approach is best suited to enable investment in LLES projects and anticipate further consultation with stakeholders later this year.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to bring forward additional rounds for the Cluster Sequencing for Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage programme beyond the Track 1 and Track 2 processes.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government has announced plans to expand Track-1 through the Track-1 expansion process and has commenced Track-2.
The Government recognises the importance of improving visibility for investors, and will set out a vision for the CCUS sector that will support the UK's net zero ambitions and raise investor confidence.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the cost to energy customers of (a) Bulb Energy Ltd being placed in special administration and (b) the takeover by Octopus Energy.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
As per the recent NAO report, the latest estimate is that there will be an overall net cost of £240m: https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/investigation-into-bulb-energy/.
This estimate will be updated in due course once wholesale energy costs are fully reconciled.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to increase private investment into the heat networks industry from sources outside of existing Government schemes.
Answered by Graham Stuart
As acknowledged in the recent Green Finance Strategy, heat networks will require significant private sector finance to help deliver decarbonised heating. The Department for Energy Security & Net Zero is engaging with both the public and private sectors to encourage private investment into the market. This includes policies such as heat network zoning and market regulation to improve the investment environment for heat network investors, publicising the pipeline of heat network projects which currently stands at £2.2 billion, and working with the UK Investment Bank to encourage private sector funding into the development of local authority led heat networks.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when his Department plans to respond to the consultation entitled Designing a framework for transparency of carbon content in energy products: call for evidence, published on 16 August 2021.
Answered by Graham Stuart
As announced in December 2021, the Department’s work on carbon content in energy products was paused to prioritise activity related to the global increases in gas prices.
As described in the March 2023 Energy Security Plan, reform is now necessary so that the retail market drives the transition to a secure, low-cost and low-carbon energy system. A summer 2023 Call for Evidence will examine how the regulatory framework can help deliver this vision.
The Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) programme is also exploring reforms to ensure that Britain’s electricity (non-retail) market arrangements harness the benefits of cheap, abundant renewables.