Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department holds any government-owned strategic reserve of (a) petrol and (b) diesel for emergency use, separate from industry stockholding obligations.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
HMG does not hold a separate Government-owned strategic reserve of petrol or diesel. The UK meets its International Energy Agency obligations by requiring industry to hold emergency stocks, which can be made available in the event of a supply disruption.
Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many cyber security incident reports relating to energy infrastructure his Department received in the last 12 months.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Under the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations, operators of essential services are required to report incidents that have an impact on the continuity of the essential services they provide. DESNZ has not received any reports of cyber incidents affecting the energy sector that met these mandatory reporting thresholds in the last 12 months.
The absence of reportable incidents should not be interpreted as an absence of cyber threats or risks. DESNZ continues to work closely with industry, regulators, and wider government to strengthen cyber resilience across the energy sector and encourage the timely reporting of cyber incidents and emerging threats.
Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, a) what the UK's current gas storage capacity is as a proportion of average winter demand and b) how that compares with the capacity of other G7 countries.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK benefits from a secure, diverse energy system, drawing on a range of gas supplies. Gas storage provides additional flexibility at times of peak demand.
National Gas data indicates the UK has 1.7bcm of gas storage capacity, which is equivalent to around seven days of average winter demand.
The Department does not collect comparative G7 data.
Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made on the potential security impacts of cyber attacks on the energy system.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department takes the security and resilience of UK energy infrastructure extremely seriously, including the cyber security of critical infrastructure. Maintaining a secure and reliable energy supply is a key priority.
The Department works closely with partners, including industry, to assess potential risks from cyber threats and their possible impacts on the availability and integrity of energy systems.
These risks are reflected in the National Risk Register, which includes three cyber-related risks owned by the Department. In partnership with the National Cyber Security Centre, the Department ensures threats are understood and appropriate mitigations implemented to maintain robust protections and resilience.
Asked by: David Reed (Conservative - Exmouth and Exeter East)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department will require a cyber incident database with compulsory fixes to be created for attacks on the energy system.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero takes the security and resilience of UK energy infrastructure extremely seriously, including the cyber security of critical infrastructure. Maintaining a secure and reliable energy supply is a key priority. The Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations, impose strict incident-reporting obligations on critical energy operators.
The Government has recently introduced the Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill. The Bill proposes expanding incident-reporting requirements, broadening the scope of reportable events, and enhancing the powers of regulators to oversee compliance and require remedial actions where necessary.