Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following recent fluctuations in the energy market, what long-term plans they have to transition to more sustainable and affordable energy sources.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As stated in Powering Up Britain, published in 2023, the mission of the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero is to replace reliance on imported fossil fuels with cheaper, cleaner, domestic sources of energy. This set out our strategy to increase supply of low-carbon energy by enhancing our strengths on wind, solar and nuclear power electricity generation alongside hydrogen production and carbon capture, usage and storage. This includes the infrastructure to produce, store and transport low-carbon energy around the country and to capture, transport and store carbon dioxide.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the impact of (a) incinerators and (b) air pollution on (i) Black and (ii) Asian communities.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises there is more to do to protect all people in our society and the environment from the effects of air pollution. This is why we are taking the significant and wide-ranging action to drive improvements to air quality as set out in our Environmental Improvement Plan 2023.
This action is supported by the Environment Act 2021, which makes sure that local authorities have the necessary powers to tackle emissions collaboratively in their local area to improve air quality. Through the Act we also introduced two new targets for fine particulate matter, the pollutant most damaging to human health, setting a maximum annual mean concentration target and a population exposure reduction target. This dual-target approach will improve public health for all by tackling the highest concentrations whilst ensuring all areas benefit from continuous improvement.
We continue to support local authorities in England to take action in their communities through the Local Air Quality Grant, which has awarded around £53 million to almost 500 projects since 2010
With regards to incinerators, in England all large waste incinerators cannot operate unless issued with an environmental permit by the Environment Agency (EA). The EA will only grant a permit if they are satisfied that the proposal would not give rise to any significant pollution of the environment or harm to human health, irrespective of the location of the plant. The EA also consults the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on every permit application they receive. The UKHSA’s position relating to incineration is that modern, well-run and regulated municipal waste incinerators are not a significant risk to public health
Under their permit, the operator must comply with the Best Available Techniques (BAT) conclusions for waste incineration. These BAT conclusions were reviewed and updated in 2019, introducing new standards which deliver an improved level of environmental protection. This includes even lower Emission Limit Values (ELVs) for oxides of nitrogen, particulates, sulphur dioxide, hydrogen chloride, dioxins and a number of other pollutants. All environmental permits for existing waste incinerators were reviewed and updated by the compliance deadline of 3rd December 2023 to reflect these new standards.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help support the development of hydrogen (a) fuel cells and (b) internal combustion engines for L-category vehicles.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Government remains technology neutral and although large portions of the L-category market are already electrifying using batteries, we recognise manufacturers are working with alternative technologies. Acknowledging the need to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, we remain open to considering how alternative and other low-carbon fuels may play a role in the transition period from internal combustion engine vehicles to fully electric vehicles. This includes hydrogen, bio and synthetic fuels.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the viability of hydrogen as an industrial fuel.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Low carbon hydrogen is likely to be a leading option to decarbonise industrial processes that are harder or more expensive to electrify. We expect uptake of hydrogen via fuel switching of energy intensive sites, as well as those engaging in high temperature, direct-fired processes. Near-term opportunities for hydrogen conversion include high temperature steam boilers and combined heat and power (CHP) processes in sectors such as chemicals and refineries, especially in industrial clusters with early access to hydrogen.
Asked by: Selaine Saxby (Conservative - North Devon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate she has made of the annual operating expenditure of a 1GW hydrogen-fired power plant commissioned in 2030.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Electricity generation costs 2023 report published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero sets out the assumptions for a hydrogen-fired Combined Cycle Hydrogen Turbine power plant commissioned in 2030.
Hydrogen to Power is an emerging technology and as such all figures are subject to change. We will continue to monitor and update cost estimates based on new evidence as it becomes available.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-generation-costs-2023
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to ensure the UK has adequate supplies of green hydrogen to support industrial applications.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Our ambition is for 10GW low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030. In December we announced eleven major new hydrogen projects across the UK, and our Hydrogen Production Delivery Roadmap sets out proposals for annual allocation rounds from 2025 to 2030, helping to provide certainty for industry. To link up production and demand, we have announced our initial ambition for the first allocation rounds of the hydrogen transport and storage business models to be launched in 2024. This will support up to two storage projects at scale and associated regional pipeline infrastructure to be in operation or construction by 2030.
Asked by: Selaine Saxby (Conservative - North Devon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate she has made of the operating expenditure cost of generating one tonne of green hydrogen in a plant commissioning by 2030.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
‘Hydrogen Production Costs 2021’, published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in August 2021, sets out the levelised cost of various hydrogen production technologies. Please see:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hydrogen-production-costs-2021
We will continue to monitor and update cost estimates based on new evidence as it becomes available.
Asked by: Selaine Saxby (Conservative - North Devon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what her Department's latest estimate is of the capital expenditure cost of a new 1GW hydrogen-fired power plant commissioning by 2030.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Figures published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in the Electricity generation costs 2023 report estimate that a 1.2 GW Combined Cycle Hydrogen Turbine (CCHTs) would cost £830million in 2025 to construct, falling to £740million by 2040.
Hydrogen to Power is an emerging technology and as such all figures are subject to change. We will continue to monitor and update cost estimates based on new evidence as it becomes available.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-generation-costs-2023
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an estimate of the level of demand for green hydrogen in industrial uses in (a) 2024, (b) 2028, (c) 2030, and (d) 2050.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As set out in the Hydrogen Transport and Storage Networks Pathway, our analysis suggests that by 2030, the potential demand for low carbon hydrogen as a fuel in UK industry (including industrial non-road mobile machinery) could be between 12-19 TWh. This could rise to 25-50 TWh by 2035, and 25-110 TWh by 2050.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much green hydrogen the UK will produce in (a) 2024, (b) 2028, (c) 2030 and (d) 2050.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Electrolytic ‘green’ hydrogen projects are delivered through our annual Hydrogen Allocation Rounds (HARs). In December we announced HAR1 would support 125MW of production capacity across 11 projects. We aim to support up to 875MW through HAR2, giving up to 1GW green hydrogen production capacity in operation or construction by 2025. The level of production in each year will depend on the outcome of HARs, operational dates for projects and their individual operating patterns. We aim to have up to 6GW of green hydrogen production capacity by 2030, while by 2050 hydrogen could supply up to 35% of UK energy consumption.