Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of using heat networks with thermal storage to provide cheaper flexibility for the electricity system in comparison with lithium battery storage, in the context of the ADE: Heat Network's report “Electricity System Benefits of Heat Networks”.

We welcome the research by ADE: Heat Networks, and agree that appropriate deployment of heat networks has the potential to reduce future electricity system costs by billions as we accelerate to net zero. We set out our long-term strategy for heat networks in the Warm Homes Plan, and our plan to increase flexible capacity on the grid through the Clean Flexibility Roadmap. Thermal storage in heat networks is location-specific whereas lithium battery storage can be deployed across a range of locations so both technologies will be needed and can offer benefits for the electricity system.