Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, CP 1337, published on 23 June 2025, what progress he has made on strengthening connections to the EU energy market.
Answered by Katie White - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Common Understanding between the European Commission and the United Kingdom, agreed at the UK-EU Summit on 19 May 2025, sets out the progress made on strengthening connections to the EU energy market. Both sides have committed to exploring the UK’s potential participation in the EU’s internal electricity market, including access to trading platforms across all timeframes. Discussions are ongoing to define the parameters of such an arrangement. The UK and European Commission also agreed to continue technical regulatory exchanges on new energy technologies such as hydrogen, carbon capture, utilisation and storage, and biomethane.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of increasing the level of carbon removal on the UK's ability to meet it's net zero targets by (a) 2030 and (b) 2050.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government will deliver an updated plan that sets out the policy package out to the end of Carbon Budget 6 in 2037 for all sectors of the economy, including Greenhouse Gas Removals (GGRs), by October 2025. The Government will also set Carbon Budget 7 by June 2026, in line with our statutory duties. Under the Climate Change Act, the UK has a legally binding commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. GGR technologies will be important for reaching net zero – balancing residual emissions from hard-to-decarbonise sectors while providing new economic opportunities.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department made of the level of imported emissions from liquefied natural gas for carbon capture, usage and storage in the policy paper entitled Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan, published on 23 June 2025.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Natural gas is used as an input for Power CCUS and CCUS-enabled hydrogen production. However, the Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan (23 June 2025) did not include a specific estimate of imported LNG emissions for CCUS. We are clear that future emissions from the production of natural gas will need to reduce in the UK and across the world and we are working with the US, EU and others to develop a framework to better measure, monitor, and report methane emissions from imported gas.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to increase the number of businesses powered by green energy in West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We are delivering on our Clean Power 2030 Action Plan to increase the number of businesses powered by green energy. We have lifted the onshore wind ban, established Great British Energy, consented almost 2GW of solar, delivered a record renewables auction, and launched carbon capture and hydrogen industries. In addition, we are driving forward vital planning and networks reforms to speed up clean power deployment.
The Government also is helping businesses to improve their energy efficiency and reduce the amount of energy they use by providing funding to upgrade their old boiler. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme offers grants of £7500 towards the cost of purchasing and installing heat pumps, and £5000 towards a biomass boiler, for properties looking to replace their existing fossil fuel heating.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had recent discussions with his Norwegian counterpart on (a) the Northern Lights project and (b) the viability of emulating their non-pipeline transport of carbon dioxide in the UK.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
On 7th May 2025, the Secretary of State met with Minister Aasland, his Norwegian counterpart, on the occasion of signing a Green Industrial Partnership with the Norwegian Government. This recognised the importance of continued collaboration on Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS), including a commitment to initiate work to identify gaps and challenges to the development of our common North Sea as a hub for carbon storage. Sharing knowledge from current projects, including the Northern Lights CCS project, will play an important role.
Our recently published Industrial Strategy: Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan emphasised how the UK’s favourable geology offers capacity to safely store up to 78 billion tonnes of CO2 and the potential to offer international CO2 storage services. Non-pipeline transport, especially the transport of CO2 via ship, will help maximise this geological potential.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to future-proof the carbon capture and storage industry.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is working to create a CCUS industry and has provided increased support to UK CCUS by allocating £9.4 billion in capital budgets over the Spending Review period.
The Government has announced its support for the Acorn (Scotland) and Viking (Humber) clusters and is providing the development funding to advance their delivery. A final investment decision (FID) will be taken later this Parliament, subject to project readiness and affordability.
The Government is actively engaging industry on key enabling CCUS policies to ensure we can build the longer-term pipeline of projects that in turn will grow the economy, contribute to the Clean Power Mission and is done at lowest cost to reach Net Zero.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to allow captured carbon to be delivered by ship to its final storage location.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises that non-pipeline methods of CO2 transportation (for example, road, rail, barge and ship) will play an integral role in achieving decarbonisation across multiple regions and sectors of the economy, to meet our carbon budget targets and net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Non-pipeline transport (NPT) will be required where it is not technically or economically feasible to connect to a CO2 storage sites via a pipeline.
The Government intends to publish an NPT consultation later this year which will include seeking views on support for NPT costs, risk allocation and economic licensing.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to increase uptake of biochar as a carbon capture method.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero recognises the potential benefits of biochar and has been taking steps to address evidence gaps through research, funding five biochar projects in the Greenhouse Gas Removals Innovation Competition, and the CO2RE Demonstrators Programme biochar project. The Government is exploring barriers to commercialisation and deployment at scale, including how further evidence can be generated on permanence, environmental impacts and the potential benefits in a UK context. The Government has announced an Independent Review to consider how Greenhouse Gas Removals, such as biochar, can assist the UK in meeting our net zero targets.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on the transport of carbon dioxide by ship.
Answered by Mike Kane
Officials within the department have engaged with their counterparts in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on non-pipeline transport of carbon dioxide, including via rail and ship. This includes inputting into the Call for Evidence on Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage on Non-Pipeline Transport and Cross border CO2 networks that ran between 7 May 2024 and 16 July 2024.
They are now working with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on their upcoming consultation on Non-Pipeline Transport of CO2, which is due for publication by the second half of this year [2025].
Asked by: Lord Hart of Tenby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are taking to address international competitiveness in the oil refining sector, and to avoid further job losses, following the closure of Grangemouth Refinery and the insolvency of Lindsey Oil Refinery.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The refining sector is a vital part of the UK’s economy, and the Government is determined to work with industry to ensure UK refineries remain internationally competitive. That is why this Government has announced an urgent review of the methodology for the Energy Intensive Industries Compensation Scheme, helping to assess future coverage for the sector.
We have also invested in carbon capture, usage and storage projects and implemented the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate, enabling the refining sector to maximise the opportunities created by the clean energy transition.
My Honourable Friend Minister Shanks met the refinery sector in June to discuss these issues and will continue to engage with the industry to address long-standing issues.