Asked by: Alex Ballinger (Labour - Halesowen)
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 merits of providing support with energy costs to defence manufacturers engaged in energy-intensive steel casting.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
For Energy Intensive Industries overall, our Clean Power 2030 target is the key to long-term sustainable price reductions. From 2027, the new British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will reduce electricity costs by up to £40 per megawatt hour for over 7,000 electricity-intensive businesses in manufacturing sectors. Eligibility will be determined following consultation, which will open shortly, with a review point in 2030. The government is also increasing support through an uplift for our most energy-intensive industries eligible for the British Industry Supercharger, with an uplift of the Network Charging Compensation (NCC) scheme to 90% from 2026. The government will set out further details on its plans to decarbonise industry, in its Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan in October.
Asked by: Alex Ballinger (Labour - Halesowen)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the number of trees from (a) primary and (b) old growth forests burnt by the Drax power station since 2012.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The origin and profile of biomass used by Drax is monitored by Ofgem. The Government requires that all biomass used by Drax be compliant with strict sustainability criteria. This requires that biomass must be legally and sustainably harvested and includes requirements around protecting biodiversity and maintaining forest productivity.
We have strengthened sustainability requirements in our recently announced deal with Drax. In the agreed low carbon dispatchable Contract for Difference, we will explicitly exclude material sourced from primary forests and old growth forests from receiving support payments. There will be substantial penalties on Drax if sustainability criteria are not met.