Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his policy is on the awarding of Government contracts to China for ready-fabricated steel; what assessment he has made of the potential impact of those contracts on the Government's environmental goals; and whether those factors are considered when awarding contracts for fabricated steel to be used in constructing (a) Net Zero Teeside and (b) other carbon capture and storage schemes.

Public procurement policy on steel is set out in Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 022 which encompasses different types of steel. Based on full Departmental returns that provided data to the Department for Business and Trade, including on the origin of steel, the Government's procurement data shows that in financial year 2024/25, only c.£29k worth of publicly procured steel was of Chinese origin, out of a total of c.£372m worth of publicly procured steel.

Steel used in Net Zero Teesside (NZT) and other carbon capture and storage schemes falls outside of public procurement. NZT are using an open and transparent tendering process and will be awarding contracts based on capacity, capability and other factors. I have met with the project developer to express my concern about the reported potential use of Chinese steel in this project and we will continue to engage with the CCUS sector to promote the industry-led voluntary ambition of 50% UK local content across the value chain and we have confidence that NZT are on track to achieve more than 50% UK content.