Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 impact of net zero policies on employment in the oil and gas sector in England.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The North Sea basin is super-mature, and production is in natural decline. Oil and gas production fell by 72% between 1999 and 2023. Direct jobs in oil and gas extraction fell by around a third between 2014 and 2023.
The clean energy transition creates an opportunity for our expert oil and gas sector to play a central role in the future of energy supply.
Robert Gordon University estimates that the renewables workforce could grow from 39,000 in 2024 to 84,000-153,000 by 2035, subject to realised deployment across those technologies and proportion of UK content delivered by the domestic supply chain.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, for what reason the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund is restricted to Scottish residents; and whether he plans to extend that scheme to workers in England.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Office for Clean Energy Jobs is funding targeted Regional Skills Pilots across the UK which will address skill gaps in a limited number of places which have been identified as priority areas for clean energy, including Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
The Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire pilot, the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund, is being delivered in partnership between UK Government, Scottish Government and Skills Development Scotland. This is a targeted pilot for workers in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
Pilots are also running in Cheshire West and Chester, North and North East Lincolnshire and Pembrokeshire, with local and devolved partners empowered to develop their own plans for how best to target the funding. The Department will publish a Clean Energy Workforce Strategy setting out our approach to creating good jobs across the country.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what (a) funding and (b) retraining support is available for oil and gas workers in England impacted by the transition to renewable energy.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We will shortly be publishing a Clean Energy Workforce Strategy which will set out our approach to upskilling and reskilling the workforce into clean energy roles through initiatives including the Energy Skills Passport, in collaboration with industry, which is helping oil and gas workers to identify routes into roles in offshore wind including construction and maintenance.
The skills system is delivering training for existing workers looking to retrain or upskill into clean energy. Support includes the announcement of 10 Technical Excellence Colleges for construction, which will transform existing further education colleges to deliver the skills needed for growth-driving sectors like clean energy; the Growth and Skills levy to deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers in England; and Skill Bootcamps to address the need for clean energy skills where this reflects regional priorities.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions his Department has had with employers in the oil and gas sector in England on (a) skills transition and (b) workforce retention.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department (DESNZ) established the Office for Clean Energy Jobs (OCEJ) to engage industry and employers on skills needs and challenges. In partnership with Skills England, it leads workforce planning by identifying skills gaps and supporting reskilling.
DESNZ consulted with all stakeholders, including employers on ‘Building the North Sea’s Energy Future’. It included questions on supporting the oil and gas workforce to transition to clean energy sectors. A Government response will be published in due course.
These engagements have informed recent initiatives, including the Energy Skills Passport, the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund pilot in Aberdeen, and the training guarantee for at-risk workers at Petroineos and Prax oil refineries.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost of decarbonising the electricity grid by 2030.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
NESO's analysis confirmed delivering clean power by 2030 is deliverable, more secure, and could see a lower cost of electricity, and lower bills.
We are committed to working with industry to grow our clean energy system with once-in-a-generation levels of energy investment – an estimated £40 billion, the vast majority of which will come from the private sector.
The Government is leveraging public finance institutions like the National Wealth Fund and Great British Energy to catalyse private investment. By providing early-stage funding, de-risking projects, and supporting the development of critical infrastructure, we aim to attract private capital and accelerate the deployment of clean power technologies.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 resilience of the national grid in the context of the potential disruption of offshore energy infrastructure.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Great Britain has a highly resilient energy network with diverse sources of supply and maintaining the security of electricity supply is a key priority for Government.
We are working with the National Protective Security Authority, the energy industry, regulators and other stakeholders to continually improve and maintain the resilience and security of energy infrastructure. We work to reduce the vulnerability of networks and assets, taking into account a range of threats and future system changes.
The National Energy System Operator can balance the system in a wide range of scenarios, including potential disruptions to offshore infrastructure.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 help reduce industrial carbon emissions.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Emissions savings through fuel switching from fossil fuels to low carbon alternatives, improvements in resource and energy efficiency and industrial carbon capture are all needed for the industrial sector to transition to net zero, and government is developing a suite of policies to deliver these savings.
We will bring forward a clear plan for industrial decarbonisation. A new Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy will set the strategic direction for our approach to working with industry towards a competitive and low carbon industrial base in the UK, ensuring growth opportunities are captured in tandem with emissions reductions.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 support the North Sea oil and gas sector.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has consulted on ‘Building the North Sea’s Energy Future’, setting out its overarching objective to make the North Sea a world leading example of an offshore clean energy industry and on its commitment to not issue new oil and gas licences to explore new fields. A response setting out its next steps will be published in due course.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 impact of the Clean Heat Market Mechanism on the costs of installing new gas boilers.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Clean Heat Market Mechanism does not require any change in the price of fossil fuel boilers.
The Government took steps before introducing the scheme to revise the 2023 proposals in order to reduce impacts on boiler manufacturers and provide them more time to scale up supply chains.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 impact of Great British Energy on household energy bills.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In an unstable world, the only way to guarantee energy security and protect billpayers is to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels. That is why government has a mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower.
We have a sustainable, long-term plan to protect all UK billpayers from volatile international gas markets. Backed by £8.3 billion, Great British Energy is part of this plan, driving the deployment of the clean, homegrown energy we need to boost our energy independence. As a publicly owned company, Great British Energy will ensure UK taxpayers, billpayers, and communities reap the benefits of this plan.