Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Oral Answer of 6 November 2014, Official Report, column 949, on energy security, what the evidential basis was for the statement that there was massive underinvestment in energy infrastructure in the previous decade.

The Government faces the challenge of securing up to £100billion on investment in electricity generation and networks by the end of the decade to keep the lights on and decarbonise energy, having already attracted £45billion since 2010. This is a higher level of investment than previously achieved, based on ONS investment data going back to 2004. Bloomberg New Energy Finance data suggests that since 2010, an average of £7 billion has been invested each year in UK based renewable electricity, compared to £3 billion a year in the previous Parliament.