Asked by: Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party - Ross, Skye and Lochaber)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the UK will still be able to enter capacity market auctions after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Claire Perry
The GB Capacity Market delivers secure supplies of electricity to homes and businesses and will continue to do so after Brexit.
Asked by: Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party - Ross, Skye and Lochaber)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made plans for the UK to remain part of EU-wide solidarity mechanisms in the event of an acute energy supply crisis.
Answered by Claire Perry
Solidarity agreements for gas are due to be in place by December 2018 and the UK is on track to deliver these. For electricity, the current solidarity agreements are part of the arrangements of the Internal Energy Market. The Government has been clear that we want to secure broad energy co-operation with the EU. This includes exploring options for the UK’s continued participation in the EU’s Internal Energy Market, including solidarity agreements.
Asked by: Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party - Ross, Skye and Lochaber)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to ensure that the National Grid remains part of the European Network of Transmission Operators for electricity and gas after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Claire Perry
We want to maintain relationships and cooperation with EU partners as we move into any agreed implementation period and future partnership. We are considering all options for doing so, including through National Grid’s membership of the European Networks of Transmission Operators for Electricity and Gas.
Asked by: Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party - Ross, Skye and Lochaber)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the oil and gas decommissioning action plan, published by the Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise in December 2016.
Answered by Jesse Norman
BEIS and the Oil and Gas Authority are in regular contact with the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise. The Department is supportive of the Scottish Government on the Oil and Gas Decommissioning Action Plan and, alongside activities related to the Oil and Gas Authority’s Decommissioning and Supply Chain Strategies, is working collectively to ensure the approach to decommissioning harnesses opportunities for the UK supply chain.
Asked by: Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party - Ross, Skye and Lochaber)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department provides to Scottish ports that wish to engage in oil and gas decommissioning.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Offshore decommissioning is a significant UK-wide opportunity, with Oil and Gas UK estimating that $1 - $1.5 billion is likely to be spent each year on decommissioning for the next 5 years. Government and the Oil and Gas Authority are working with industry and industry bodies to support UK content.
Last year Government committed to supporting an Aberdeen City Deal which includes an Aberdeen Harbour expansion to compete for more decommissioning work.
The Oil and Gas Authority’s Decommissioning Board is working with industry to forecast future demand and opportunities. As part of this work the Oil and Gas Authority engages with ports to discuss decommissioning priorities, work opportunities and future decommissioning-related plans.
Asked by: Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party - Ross, Skye and Lochaber)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy that the proposed changes to the subsidy regime for CHP biomass plants allow schemes pre-accredited under the Renewable Heat Incentive to continue to benefit from that scheme.
Answered by Nick Hurd
This change has been made to provide value for money for the taxpayer. It will apply to new participants on the basis of when they fully qualify for the scheme. Those who fully qualified on or after 1st August will be subject to the change.
Asked by: Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party - Ross, Skye and Lochaber)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he (a) has had and (b) plans to have with Rio Tinto on that company's strategic review of its smelter operations in Lochaber.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The future of the Lochaber smelter is largely a devolved matter, but the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has discussed Rio Tinto’s strategic review with the Scottish Government and will maintain these contacts as the situation develops. There have been no direct contacts with Rio Tinto, but BIS officials have discussed this matter with the Aluminium Federation, which represents the aluminium industry in the UK.
Asked by: Ian Blackford (Scottish National Party - Ross, Skye and Lochaber)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department plans to take to extend the levels of support being given to the aluminium industry to the same level as that given to the steel industry.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The actions taken by the Government to support the steel sector, for example in respect of support for Energy Intensive Industries (EIIs) with their energy costs, will also benefit the UK aluminium industry. We have paid nearly £2.8 million compensation to date to companies producing aluminium since the EU Emissions Trading System and Carbon Price Support schemes began.
We look forward to the Aluminium Federation’s constructive involvement in establishing the Metals Council, which will work with Government to address opportunities and challenges facing the UK metals sectors. The Metals Council is an outcome from the Metals Strategy, to which both the Aluminium and Steel sectors provided key contributions.