Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an estimate of the potential carbon emissions that would be released by Europa's proposed proppant squeeze project at Burniston Mill in North Yorkshire.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department does not have a role in assessing the potential environmental impacts or carbon emissions of a proposed onshore oil and gas project. The relevant Mineral Planning Authority considers such impacts as part of providing planning permission and can request an Environmental Impact Assessment to be completed. Relevant planning permissions and permits, including from the Environment Agency, are required before any operations can take place.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an estimate of the potential environmental impact of Europa's proposed proppant squeeze project at the Burniston Mill site in North Yorkshire.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department does not have a role in assessing the potential environmental impacts or carbon emissions of a proposed onshore oil and gas project. The relevant Mineral Planning Authority considers such impacts as part of providing planning permission and can request an Environmental Impact Assessment to be completed. Relevant planning permissions and permits, including from the Environment Agency, are required before any operations can take place.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of banning the proppant squeeze process of gas extraction.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Proppant squeezes are not currently defined in legislation as high volume hydraulic fracturing for shale gas extraction. We are committed to banning fracking for good and any future decision on national planning policy for fracking will take into account all volumes of hydraulic fracturing.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ban the proppant squeeze process of gas extraction.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Proppant squeezes are not currently defined in legislation as high volume hydraulic fracturing for shale gas extraction. We are committed to banning fracking for good and any future decision on national planning policy for fracking will take into account all volumes of hydraulic fracturing.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
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 potential merits of using cellular smart meters to create a fully functioning smart meter network in the north of England.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Under its licence, the Data Communications Company (DCC) is obligated to provide Wide Area Network (WAN) coverage to at least 99.5% of premises across its ‘North’ region.
DCC's work on its Future Connectivity strategy includes consideration of a full range of technical solutions including cellular options.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what guidance his Department issues to energy suppliers on their statutory responsibilities for installing functioning smart meters in customers’ homes.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department is working closely with industry to make sure they are addressing meters that are not providing automatic readings. This work includes monitoring and sharing benchmarked performance data, sharing best practice and providing guidance on how to identify and resolve meter operation issues.
Energy suppliers are obligated under their licence conditions to meet minimum annual installation targets and take all reasonable steps to ensure their customers’ smart meters are functional. The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) is responsible for regulating
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
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 effectiveness of the smart meter network in the north of England.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises that too many households across GB are currently unable to send automatic readings to their energy suppliers, including meters without access to WAN coverage. We will set out new plans to improve the rollout and the consumer experience, alongside Ofgem, in due course.