Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department's consultation document entitled Scheme design for bill discounts for transmission network infrastructure published on 8 August 2025, on what date will communities affected by the construction of new transmission network infrastructure projects that are approved no longer be eligible to receive payments; and if he will make an estimate of the total cost of providing community benefits in relation to the Norwich to Tilbury Great Grid Upgrade proposals.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We propose eligible households will start receiving a discount once main construction has begun and will receive a maximum of £250 per year for up to 10 years. It is our intention that the bill discount scheme will run for a set period of time, with a post-implementation review to be conducted 5 years into the scheme to determine whether it is working as envisioned. The aggregate cost associated with providing community benefits, both via the bill discount scheme and community funds, will be detailed in the Impact Assessment accompanying secondary legislation. The government does not comment on individual projects.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the potential contribution of the Norwich to Tilbury Great Grid upgrade to his target for low carbon generation of electricity by 2030; and when he expects this infrastructure will be operational.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
National Grid have now submitted their Development Consent Order application to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration.
The Government does not comment on the merits of live planning applications, which, subject to the Planning Inspectorate’s decision to accept the application for examination, will be subject to rigorous, independent assessment and advice by the Examining Authority – to inform the Secretary of State’s final decision.
The project currently has an earliest in-service date 2031, and NESO’s independent advice on 2030 Clean Power demonstrates that failing to bring this forward to 2030 will reduce clean power on the GB grid by 1% and could increase constraint costs by £2.8bn p.a.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether (a) value for money assessments and (b) comparative value for money assessments for alternative proposals will be material planning considerations when determining applications covered by the proposed National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy Infrastructure.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Draft updated National Policy Statements were published for consultation and laid before Parliament earlier this year. There are no proposed changes in regard to value for money assessments. Development proposals enter the planning system at different times (at the discretion of developers), and require decisions on development consent orders to be made within statutory timeframes accordingly. The planning system does not compare projects; each decision is based on the merits of each proposal.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether (a) value for money assessments of and (b) comparative value for money assessments of alternative projects proposed through the Development Consent Order process will be material planning considerations when determining applications covered by the proposed National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy Infrastructure.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Draft updated National Policy Statements were published for consultation and laid before Parliament earlier this year. There are no proposed changes in regard to value for money assessments. Development proposals enter the planning system at different times (at the discretion of developers), and require decisions on development consent orders to be made within statutory timeframes accordingly. The planning system does not compare projects; each decision is based on the merits of each proposal.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he made representations to the Chinese Government on (a) the bounties placed by the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities on Hong Kongers living in the UK (b) concerns over human rights, (c) the effect of Hong Kong’s National Security Law and (d) the detention of Jimmy Lai during his recent visit to China.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This Government continues to stand firm on the issue of human rights in China, including relating to Hong Kong and Jimmy Lai. The recent visit by the Secretary of State gave the opportunity to discuss issues that matter to the UK with senior levels of the Chinese government, including areas where we disagree.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Households near new pylons to save hundreds on energy bills, published on 10 March 2025, when those measures will (a) be implemented and (b) come into effect; whether the Norwich to Tilbury Great Grid Upgrade will be in scope; how many (i) households and (ii) landowners would receive financial support along the route of the Norwich to Tilbury Great Grid Upgrade proposals; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the Norwich to Tilbury Great Grid Update of implementing those reforms.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The bill discount scheme will apply to eligible domestic residents and is planned to go live from 2026 once regulations have been laid, when Parliamentary time allows. Eligibility will be set out in regulations, but our aim is that major new transmission projects needed for 2030 will be eligible. Further impact analysis will be conducted prior to scheme introduction. The proposed funding mechanism is by an obligation on electricity suppliers, so it would not directly impact the cost of an infrastructure project. The Government has also published community funds guidance, which could apply to transmission projects yet to start construction.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to Plan for Change: Milestones for mission-led government, published on 5 December 2024, CP 1210, what energy infrastructure projects are under consideration; and whether the Norwich to Tilbury Great Grid Upgrade project is included.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Planning Inspectorate website states that the Norwich to Tilbury project is at the pre-application stage, and that the application is expected to be submitted for examination between June and August 2025. Information can be found here https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN020027. The Examining Authority’s Report should therefore come to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero for decision in 2026. This project is therefore one of the Development Consent Order (DCO) decisions that would count towards the Prime Minister’s target of taking 150 DCO decisions in this Parliament.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to consult on regulations relating to the introduction of a renewable liquid heating fuel obligation.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Renewable liquid fuels could play a limited role in heating. As sustainable biomass is a limited resource, the Government expect to prioritise its use in sectors like aviation, and potentially homes that are not readily suitable for heat pumps, as these offer the greatest opportunity to reduce emissions and have fewest alternative options to decarbonise. The price of renewable liquid heating fuels is higher than fuels that are currently used off the gas grid. The Government would need to ensure they are affordable before making any decisions on whether to support wider deployment, including the introduction of any obligations.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the potential cost of including a package of community benefits in the proposal for the Norwich to Tilbury Great Grid Upgrade.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As details of the guidance on community benefits are still under development, we are not in a position to estimate the costs of providing such benefits to communities affected by the Norwich to Tilbury grid upgrade. We will provide an update at the appropriate time.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much energy is (a) generated by each offshore wind farm (i) off the coast of the East of England and (ii) across the UK and (b) forecast to be generated by each (A) consented offshore wind farm scheme not yet operational, (B) proposed offshore wind farm scheme under consideration and (C) location identified for future offshore wind farm schemes.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department publishes total and regional breakdowns of UK electricity generation by renewable technology here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/regional-renewable-statistics. Breakdowns of generation for each offshore wind farm cannot be provided as this is commercially sensitive information.
The Department does not publish generation forecasts for future projects - these will depend on specific factors such as precise site design and turbine size (among others) which may not yet be publicly known. Some individual developers will publish estimated output on their project websites.