Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much money the Government invested in carbon capture and storage projects in each year between 2010 and 2015.
Answered by Jesse Norman
In each year between 2010 and 2015, the Government has invested the following in carbon capture and storage projects:
Figures for the 2015/16 financial year are provisional.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to (a) expedite the Government's application to the European Commission to exempt energy-intensive industries from the indirect costs of the Renewables Obligation and small-scale Feed-in Tariffs and (b) ensure that legislation on that exemption is in place before financial year 2017-18.
Answered by Jesse Norman
We are engaging with the European Commission about our state aid pre-notification to move from compensation to exemption for the indirect cost of the Renewables Obligation (RO) and small-scale Feed-in Tariffs (FiT). We aim to introduce the exemption for Energy Intensive Industries (EIIs) from 1 April 2017.
The Government continues to provide relief to those EIIs most affected by the rising cost of electricity and has paid over £360m in compensation since August 2013.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to secure contingency funding for the continuation of compensation for the indirect costs of the Renewables Obligation and small-scale Feed-in Tariffs for (a) the steel industry and (b) other energy-intensive industries beyond April 2017.
Answered by Jesse Norman
We aim to introduce an exemption for Energy Intensive Industries from the indirect costs of the Renewables Obligation and small-scale Feed-in Tariffs from 1 April 2017. It is not currently necessary to allocate contingency funding for the continuation of compensation beyond April 2017.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress his Department has made in improving the interoperability of early smart meters.
Answered by Jesse Norman
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Christchurch, on 21 November 2016 to Question 53430:
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department holds information on the number of households using foundation stage meters which have switched energy suppliers in each of the last five years.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department does not hold this information.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on energy (a) prices and (b) capacity of the damage done to the electricity interconnector between France and the UK during Storm Angus.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Interconnectors, as with all electricity infrastructure, may occasionally be unavailable because of the need for repairs and maintenance. However, electricity supplies are secure this winter. In forecasting capacity margins, National Grid allows for unplanned outages – such as this one – in their planning. National Grid has a variety of tools to manage the system and ensure supplies, including 3.5GW of balancing reserve.
We have not assessed how the damage sustained by the IFA (Interconnexion France-Angleterre) on 20 November will affect the wholesale electricity price, given the various other factors that contribute to wholesale costs, not least the expected direction of flow through IFA this winter.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of whether the incident which damaged the electricity interconnector between France and the UK during Storm Angus has potential safety implications for existing and proposed interconnectors between (a) the UK and other countries and (b) Northern Ireland and Great Britain; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman
National Grid and the French transmission system operator are jointly conducting a full investigation into the incident that damaged the interconnector between France and the UK during Storm Angus. Teams on both sides of the Channel are working to restore this interconnector to full availability as soon as possible.
Interconnector developers employ a variety of tools to reduce the risk of damage to the cable, including thorough sea-bed risk assessments, geotechnical analysis of the sea-bed and a review of shipping routes near the project. Where physically possible, reinforced cables are buried under the sea-bed; where the conditions do not allow for this, the cable is protected by other means, such as rock placement or concrete. Once in service, interconnector cables are regularly surveyed to ensure they remain protected.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of Shell's sale of its North Sea field assets on the long-term future of the North Sea as an energy asset.
Answered by Jesse Norman
No such assessment has been made. The Oil and Gas Authority will assess any licence transfer as the licensing authority.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential costs and benefits to customers, workers and the public purse of a UK company purchasing Shell's North Sea assets.
Answered by Jesse Norman
No such assessment has been made. Any potential sale of Shell’s North Sea assets is a commercial matter for the company rather than Her Majesty’s Government.
Asked by: Tom Blenkinsop (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2016 to Question 50888, what tariff rates on electricity which reaches the UK through interconnectors from the continent will remain similarly unaffected by the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The bound EU tariff rate on imports of electricity is zero. As with imports of other forms of energy, the decision on whether electricity imported into the UK should be subject to tariffs once the UK has left the EU will be for the UK alone to make. And as with other energy imports, reasons of economic competitiveness, energy security and the UK’s support for an open trade regime make it unlikely that the Government would wish to impose tariffs on electricity reaching the UK from other parts of Europe.