Infrastructure Bill [Lords]

Lord Barker of Battle Excerpts

Monday 26th January 2015 Commons Chamber

[Amber Rudd]

That is why, as the hon. Gentleman is aware, the Government have been so keen to get targets into Europe that apply across the whole of Europe. He will be aware that we are leading on those, and we will continue to do so. It is very important to lead by example, and he is right to raise the issue relating to Germany, which is why we are pleased to have a cross-European agreement. However, that does not detract from the importance of making sure that we do the right thing in this country.

[Gregory Barker (Bexhill and Battle) (Con)]

On that point about displaced coal, is it not a fact that it is displaced coal from north America that is contributing to a rise in the burning of coal in Europe? If we take matters into our own hands and develop more gas, we can reduce the amount of coal that is burned. It is coal that is the enemy of climate change and that is enemy No. 1. Gas is our ally in a green future.

[Amber Rudd]

My hon. Friend makes an excellent point based on his clear expertise in this area. The Committee on Climate Change has said that for flexible power supply, the UK will

“continue to use considerable, albeit declining, amounts of gas well into the 2030s”

which will leave

“a considerable gap between production of North Sea gas and our total demand.”

It argues that that demand

“can either be met through imports or UK production of shale gas.”

It concludes that

“if anything, using well regulated UK shale gas to fill this gap could lead to lower overall lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions than continuing to import LNG. It would also increase the proportion of energy produced within the UK, improving our energy sovereignty.”