Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to set a target for eliminating the use of fossil fuels by the UK; and if not, why not.

The Government is committed to acting on climate change by reducing our emissions to net zero by 2050. As part of this we must move away from fossil fuels and towards cleaner energy sources. This is why we are one of the first countries to commit to ending unabated coal generation, which we intend to do by 2024, subject to consultation. Closing our remaining coal plants by this date would mean that in 10 years we have reduced our reliance on unabated coal generation from almost a third of our electricity supply to zero.

Our Energy White Paper, published last December set out plans for the transformation of our energy system as we move towards fully decarbonised electricity generation by 2050, including working with the oil and gas sector to transform the UK Continental Shelf to be a net zero basin by 2050. As these fossil fuels play a smaller role in our energy mix over time, the government will agree a North Sea Transition Deal to deliver new business opportunities, jobs and skills and protect the wider communities which rely on the sector. My Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan further demonstrates the government’s commitment to investing in clean technologies as we move away from fossil fuels.

Ahead of COP26, we will set out further plans for decarbonising key sectors across the economy, culminating in a Net Zero Strategy which sets out our vision for the transition to 2050.