Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his policy is on the awarding of Government contracts to China for ready-fabricated steel; what assessment he has made of the potential impact of those contracts on the Government's environmental goals; and whether those factors are considered when awarding contracts for fabricated steel to be used in constructing (a) Net Zero Teeside and (b) other carbon capture and storage schemes.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Public procurement policy on steel is set out in Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 022 which encompasses different types of steel. Based on full Departmental returns that provided data to the Department for Business and Trade, including on the origin of steel, the Government's procurement data shows that in financial year 2024/25, only c.£29k worth of publicly procured steel was of Chinese origin, out of a total of c.£372m worth of publicly procured steel.
Steel used in Net Zero Teesside (NZT) and other carbon capture and storage schemes falls outside of public procurement. NZT are using an open and transparent tendering process and will be awarding contracts based on capacity, capability and other factors. I have met with the project developer to express my concern about the reported potential use of Chinese steel in this project and we will continue to engage with the CCUS sector to promote the industry-led voluntary ambition of 50% UK local content across the value chain and we have confidence that NZT are on track to achieve more than 50% UK content.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with specialist bodies on the Warm Homes Plan; and when he plans to (a) publish and (b) implement the Plan.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The previous Minister for Energy Consumers had discussions with industry, local government and devolved governments in the development of the Warm Homes Plan.
As the first step towards the Warm Homes Plan, the government committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency, with £1 billion of this allocated to 2025/2026.
The department has also launched the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF) to support social housing providers and tenants in England, and the Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG) to support low-income homeowners and private tenants in England. Further detail on the Warm Homes Plan will be set out in October.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he plans to take to investigate the security of UK (a) solar and (b) wind farms to ensure that there are no kill switches in Chinese-made inverter units installed in their structures.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department works continually with Ofgem and the National Cyber Security Centre to ensure that regulations continue to capture the most critical operators of energy generation systems. Distributed and smaller-scale generation are key components of a smart and resilient energy system.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
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 18 March 2025 to Question 37979 on Natural Gas: Imports, what the minimum safety criteria are with which a shale gas company must comply when plugging an unused well; and who monitors compliance with safety standards.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Heath and Safety Executive and the North Sea Transition Authority are the relevant regulators for onshore shale gas extraction. They regulate compliance with the criteria set for plugging and abandoning wells at the end of their useful life.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence on the potential impact of putting the UK’s shale gas wells permanently beyond use on their policies; and whether he has put contingency plans in place to replace gas imports in the event of overseas supplies being (a) reduced and (b) cut off during an international conflict.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK has a secure and diverse energy system. Over the past three years the market has successfully delivered sufficient supplies amidst a period characterised by high energy prices and uncertainties caused by Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, and conflict in the Middle East. The National Emergency Plan for Downstream Gas and Electricity also sets out the arrangements for the safe and effective management of downstream gas or electricity disruption.
Decisions on whether to abandon wells are ultimately a matter for the company. Hydrocarbon wells must be safely plugged and abandoned when they are no longer in use.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate his Department has made of the (a) volume and (b) proportion of liquefied natural gas imported from the United States derived from shale gas in each of the last three years; and whether emissions created by the (i) extraction, (ii) liquefaction and (iii) transportation to the UK of that gas exceed the emissions which would be created by extracting an equivalent volume of shale gas in the UK.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Data on gas import origins (including imports of liquified natural gas (LNG) from the US) is published each month in Energy Trends table 4.4. Further disaggregation of US LNG by method of extraction is not collected or available.
The UK has no active commercial shale gas production and hence no emissions data from production to allow a comparison with emissions from imported gas.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to ensure that all domestic energy customers are offered the facility to pay energy bills by cheque; and if his Department will issue guidance to energy suppliers on enabling customer payment by cheque.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
The setting of tariffs, and associated payment methods, are a commercial decision for the energy companies. Regulation of the sector is the responsibility of independent regulator Ofgem.