Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has had recent discussions with the Welsh Government on the development of floating offshore wind projects.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
BEIS officials engage in regular discussions with Devolved Administrations, including the Welsh Government, on matters of mutual interest. The Celtic Sea constitutes a major development opportunity for the offshore wind sector and is set to create significant opportunities for development in Wales.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
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 increase investment in the development of (a) onshore and offshore wind, (b) tidal energy, (c) solar power, (d) hydrogen power and (e) other renewable energy sources.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme is the Government’s main mechanism for supporting renewable generation in Great Britain. The latest round is the largest yet and will support technologies including offshore wind, onshore wind, solar, tidal and floating offshore wind. The next CfD round will be held in March 2023, and future rounds will run annually, rather than every two years, helping to drive deployment of renewable power.
The Government’s policy levers for hydrogen, including the Hydrogen Business Model, are designed to unlock significant private sector investment to reach the 10GW by 2030 production ambition.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
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 ensure that payments made under the Smart Export Guarantee Scheme reflect the increase in prices for electricity that have been introduced under the new price cap.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for York Outer on 28 February to Question 125141.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
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) ensure the five pence reduction in fuel duty announced in the Spring Statement is passed on to consumers and (b) monitor fuel prices at service stations.
Answered by Paul Scully
Drivers should be getting a fair deal for fuel across the UK. Healthy competition between forecourts is key to achieving this, with competition working to keep pressure on prices. The Government has asked the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to conduct an urgent review of the fuel market, as well as a longer-term market study under the Enterprise Act 2002, to explore whether the retail fuel market has adversely affected consumer interests. As part of this, the Government has asked for the CMA’s advice on the extent to which competition has resulted in the fuel duty cut being passed on to consumers and the reasons for local variations in the price of road fuel.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
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 ensure that supply chains for the (a) production and (b) distribution of diesel are not disrupted.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK remains well-supplied for diesel from a diverse range of sources. UK demand for diesel is met by a combination of domestic production and imports. In 2021 UK production could have met over half of our demand for diesel. Imports in the same year came from a diverse range of reliable suppliers beyond Russia including the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden.
BEIS monitors the fuel supply market to remain aware of current supply levels, and publishes weekly national average forecourt stock levels. There is no shortage of diesel in the UK.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
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 support the (a) generation and (b) adoption of cleaner methods of home heating.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
In the Heat and Buildings Strategy, published in October 2021, the Government sets out actions for the reduction of emissions from buildings in the near and longer term. This includes a package of measures to reduce the costs of buying and running a heat pump and how the Government plans to scale up the deployment of heat pumps to 600,000 installations per annum by 2028. The new Boiler upgrade scheme, opened for grant applications 23 May, gives £5000 discounts towards installing a heat pump. The Government is also taking action to grow the market for heat networks and continues to invest in research for hydrogen heating.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
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 work with the Welsh Government to ensure that the national grid transmission network is upgraded to have the necessary capacity to transmit electricity from both small scale community generation and large scale renewable generation projects such as offshore wind.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government works closely with Ofgem and network companies to ensure there is necessary capacity for renewable generation in Wales and across Great Britain and is engaging with the Welsh Government on this. As part of the Government’s Offshore Transmission Network Review, the National Grid Electricity System Operator will publish a Holistic Network Design by June 30th, which will accommodate 1GW of floating offshore wind capacity in the Celtic Sea.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the British energy security strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of locating the headquarters of the Great British Nuclear Vehicle in North Wales in the context of the nuclear expertise in that area.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As part of the Government’s ambition to set up the Great British Nuclear Vehicle this year, officials are working to scope the functions of this entity – building on UK industrial strengths and expertise.
The UK has a proud nuclear tradition across many regions, with expertise to match. The Government continues to recognise the strong interest for nuclear power in North Wales and will consider all appropriate locations.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to help deliver nuclear projects by the end of the decade.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The British Energy Security Strategy, announced on 7 April, outlined the intention to take one new nuclear power project to Final Investment Decision (FID) this Parliament, and two projects to FID in the next Parliament (including potentially at Wylfa). The ambition in the strategy could see our nuclear sector progressing up to 8 reactors by 2030. The statement also announced proposals for a new body to develop a resilient pipeline of new build nuclear projects, and a plan to launch the £120m Future Nuclear Enabling Fund in April, to award funding to projects which may potentially be part of future decisions.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
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 readiness of the national grid to accommodate the change in energy mix set out in the Energy Security Strategy; and what steps he is planning to take to help protect the rural landscape in the event that work is required to strengthen the national grid.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government’s British Energy Security Strategy sets out measures to accelerate the connecting onshore network infrastructure required to support targets for electricity generation. These measures could reduce timelines for delivering network infrastructure by around three years.
Communities will retain their voice in decision making and planning decisions will still be robust. The Government has consulted on amending the energy National Policy Statements to strengthen the mitigation of landscape and visual impacts from network infrastructure. This includes the need to follow ‘good design’ principles and a starting presumption to underground electricity cables in designated areas, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.