Oral Answers to Questions

Nic Dakin Excerpts

Thursday 19th June 2014 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish) (Lab)]

11. What recent assessment he has made of the UK’s energy security.

[Nic Dakin (Scunthorpe) (Lab)]

17. What recent assessment he has made of the UK’s energy security.

[Tom Blenkinsop (Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland) (Lab)]

18. What recent assessment he has made of the UK’s energy security.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Davey]

I am grateful for the hon. Gentleman’s question. We are giving huge support. We published the first ever interconnection strategy in December and we are working with Ofgem, which recently published a new registry framework. We hope that three interconnector projects will get to financial close very shortly—the Eleclink through the channel tunnel, the Nemo Link project with Belgium and the NSN project with Norway—and we think that two other projects could come forward with France. The question is really important as it involves the single European energy market, of which we are strong supporters. We are working tirelessly on that very point.

[Nic Dakin]

Given that industry is having to use load management measures more often than before, is it not time to establish, as Labour has proposed, a single institution—an energy security board—to assess future capacity and establish strategic objectives to deliver it?