Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
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 with the the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the equity and effectiveness of the regional distribution of public funding for hydrogen infrastructure.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government is not prescriptive regarding the location of support provision for hydrogen infrastructure, and will assess transport & storage project applications on individual merit against criteria reflecting strategic objectives (e.g. deliverability, decarbonisation potential, and value for money), before contract negotiations with highest-scoring projects. Hydrogen Transport & Storage Business Models support recipients will have had to demonstrate ability to deliver value for money infrastructure, and will have agreed scale & cost of deliverables with Government. As long as projects meet eligibility criteria for the regional hydrogen network competition, they will be able to apply regardless of their location within Great Britain.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential role of industrial clusters in South Wales in the UK’s hydrogen economy.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Industrial clusters, such as in South Wales, can support hydrogen production and use by co-locating supply with demand, which helps reduce infrastructure costs, transport requirements, and system risks during market scaleup.
Across the South Wales industrial cluster region, two hydrogen production projects, West Wales Hydrogen in Milford Haven and HyBont in Bridgend, have been awarded funding in the first Hydrogen Allocation Round. The West Wales project recently announced its Final Investment Decision. Together, they will supply local industry, supporting decarbonisation, create skilled jobs and encourage regional economic growth across the South Wales industrial cluster.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
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 potential economic impact of hydrogen investment in Wales, including on the level of (a) Gross Value Added and (b) job creation.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Our Hydrogen Allocation Rounds (HARs) are stimulating private investment in hydrogen projects across the UK, including in Wales. Two of the successful HAR1 projects are in Wales – the HyBont project in Bridgend and West Wales Hydrogen in Milford Haven. The latter recently announced its Final Investment Decision, which I was pleased to mark alongside the Secretary of State for Wales. This project alone represents an investment of over £50 million and is forecast to support over 60 jobs during construction and its operational phase. It will also strengthen domestic supply chains, by choosing Sheffield-based ITM Power to supply its electrolysers.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what mechanism the Government intends to use to allocate funding under the Warm Homes Plan to local areas; and whether allocations will be made directly to Local Authorities.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Autumn 2024 Budget allocated £500 million to the Warm Homes Local Grant to be delivered from 2025-28 by eligible local authorities. The WH:LG used an expression of interest model to allocate funding, with all eligible local authorities in England who expressed an interest allocated funding - details of these allocations are available on gov.uk.
Local authorities within the West Midlands and Greater Manchester Combined Authorities received an allocation of this funding as part of the Warm Homes and Public Sector Decarbonisation Devolution Programme
£5 billion of the total £15 billion funding for the Warm Homes Plan is allocated to low-income households, initially delivered through the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF) and the WH:LG. From 2027/28 onwards we intend to integrate these into a single low-income capital scheme shifting towards area-based delivery. We will say more about the evolution of low-income schemes by Spring 2026.
Asked by: Rachel Blake (Labour (Co-op) - Cities of London and Westminster)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment his Department has made of the performance and reliability of heat networks operating in residential developments in England; and what steps he is taking to ensure consistent service standards for consumers.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We are aware that some existing heat networks are not delivering to the standard they should be. We have and will continue to take steps to protect consumers: We have already taken action by introducing Ofgem as the market regulator who have the powers to tackle poor service standards. In the first year of regulation, they will be collecting performance data and consulting on Guaranteed Standards of Performance.
Heat network consumers who suffer a service outage can also seek redress through the Energy Ombudsman.
DESNZ is also consulting on mandatory technical standards for heat networks, that include proposals to ensure new and existing heat networks are designed, built, and operated to a standard, that will deliver good outcomes for consumers.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his timeline is for rolling out the trial for discounted energy bills in areas of high wind generation.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The trial will launch this winter and we anticipate that it will run until Spring 2028. Measures will be brought forward when parliamentary time allows to enable the government to make enduring changes based on the results of the trial.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled New radar systems to unlock offshore wind, published on 20 March 2026, which Department's budget the new radar systems will be sourced from.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has signed a £95m contract with BAE Systems to deliver a technologically advanced radar that secures the coexistence of air defence and offshore wind, supporting both national and energy security.
These upgrades to the UK’s air defence radars will help unlock up to 10GW of offshore wind, £20bn in private investment and thousands of skilled jobs.
The Ministry of Defence has agreed to fund this contract, with financial support from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, as part of a mission-led government. Funding was allocated at the Spending Review 2025 and has not been diverted from wider RAF or Air Defence budgets.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled New radar systems to unlock offshore wind, published on 20 March 2026, what the cost is of procuring the new air defence radar systems.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has signed a £95m contract with BAE Systems to deliver a technologically advanced radar that secures the coexistence of air defence and offshore wind, supporting both national and energy security.
These upgrades to the UK’s air defence radars will help unlock up to 10GW of offshore wind, £20bn in private investment and thousands of skilled jobs.
The Ministry of Defence has agreed to fund this contract, with financial support from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, as part of a mission-led government. Funding was allocated at the Spending Review 2025 and has not been diverted from wider RAF or Air Defence budgets.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 to question 102809 on Solar Power: Decommissioning, if he will make it his policy to issue such guidance.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Developers are required to set out arrangements for decommissioning in their planning applications, as set out in National Policy Statement EN-3. The Department has no current plans to publish separate guidance.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
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 Ofgem on the decision not to fund the HyLine Cymru project; and whether he plans to revisit that decision.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
HyLine Cymru applied for development expenditure funding under Ofgem's RIIO2 reopener mechanism. Government subsequently discussed the strategic value of this project with Ofgem who decided not to fund Hyline Cymru due to its lack of large-scale geological storage, which will be needed for the development of a regional hydrogen network. Decisions regarding funding provided under RIIO2 sit with Ofgem and therefore Government does not intend to revisit this decision.