Asked by: Andy Carter (Conservative - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to support the development of carbon capture, utilisation and storage technology.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We are clear that CCUS is a priority for this Government, and we are progressing at pace. In March 2023 we announced up to £20 billion funding for early deployment of CCUS across all sectors, and in December we outlined how we will get to a competitive carbon capture market by 2035.
Asked by: Andy Carter (Conservative - Warrington South)
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 adequacy of the operation of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Up to the end of May 2023 the Boiler Upgrade Scheme had received 18,433 applications and paid £58.9 million in grants.
Industry reacted positively to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme during its first year, with suppliers developing competitive offers alongside the grant. Consumers can now install a heat pump for an increasingly similar price to a gas boiler.
The Government is conducting an independent evaluation of the scheme, delivered through an external contractor, to inform decisions about future improvements.
Asked by: Andy Carter (Conservative - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the installation of smart-enabled hot water cylinders.
Answered by Graham Stuart
I refer my hon Friend to the answer I gave to my hon Friend the Member for Waveney (Peter Aldous) on 16 June 2023 to Question UIN 188254.
Asked by: Andy Carter (Conservative - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the support provided to households to cover increased energy costs has taken into account the regional variations in the energy price cap.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Ofgem’s licence conditions require that energy charges are cost-reflective in the price cap. As it costs more to distribute energy to some regions than others, there are regional variations in charging to reflect higher costs to serve.
The Energy Price Guarantee applies a fixed discount to tariffs, so these small differences continue to exist.
Asked by: Andy Carter (Conservative - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to help ensure that gas networks are ready for a 20% hydrogen blend by the end of this year.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is aiming to reach a policy decision in 2023 on whether to allow blending of up to 20% hydrogen by volume into the gas distribution networks. This could generate carbon-savings of up to 6-7% on current GB grid gas consumption. The Government is working with the networks and industry to build the necessary evidence base to determine whether blending meets the required safety standards, is feasible and represents value for money.
Asked by: Andy Carter (Conservative - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he is taking steps to help ensure that issues with the supply of liquified petroleum gas do not impact consumers.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The supply of liquified petroleum gas remains sufficient to meet demand across the UK. The Department works closely with industry to monitor the liquified petroleum gas supply position throughout the year and to take steps proactively to mitigate any risks that may affect distribution to customers and essential services.