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 Answer of 7 October 2016 to Question 45055, how many tonnes of carbon dioxide were displaced by renewable (a) electricity and (b) heat generation in (i) the UK, (ii) England, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Wales in (A) 2016, (B) 2017 and (C) 2018.

The Answer of 7 October 2016 to Question 45055 estimated the displacement of carbon dioxide emissions in 2015 as renewable electricity generation multiplied by the average emissions factor for electricity supplied by fossil fuel stations in 2015. However, using the same methodology for subsequent years would be misleading due to the steep drop in the average fossil fuels emissions factor between 2015 and 2016. The increase in the carbon price floor in 2015 and closure of coal-fired power stations drove a switch from coal to gas generation. This methodology would therefore not differentiate between the reduction in carbon dioxide due to displacement of coal by gas and the reduction due to the displacement of fossil fuels by renewables.