Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many officials are engaged in work to support marine energy reaching commercialisation.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

There are four officials whose work is focussed on supporting marine energy commercialisation at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. They are supported by others across the Department who help deliver various renewable schemes and programmes.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the performance of Wave Energy Scotland; and what plans they have, if any, to replicate its model to support the development of wave energy in England.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government has no plans to make an assessment of Wave Energy Scotland. It was established, and is fully funded, by the Scottish Government.

The Government supports the development and deployment of wave energy in the UK through research funding programmes and the Contracts for Difference scheme.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support they intend to provide to innovative renewable deployment, such as combined wind and wave offshore sites.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government supports innovative renewable deployment through a suite of research funding programmes and the Contracts for Difference scheme. For example, research projects on combining offshore wind and wave sites can apply to UK Research and Innovation for funding.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they intend to make available within the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio for combined wind and wave energy generation.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Net Zero Innovation Portfolio is investing up to £60m to support the development of state-of-the-art technologies in the future offshore wind industry.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of introducing a ringfence for wave energy in future contract for difference auctions.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Through the Contracts for Difference scheme the Government can ringfence budgets for technologies where costs are comparatively higher than other technologies in the same pot, but show potential to make an important contribution to decarbonisation targets. In the upcoming Allocation Round 5 auction, tidal stream and wave technologies will be part of the emerging technologies pot, which has a £35m budget. Of this total, the Government has a ring-fenced budget of £10m to support tidal stream projects. Wave technology is costlier and at precommercial stage, which is several years behind tidal stream in development, hence the Government has not set a ring-fenced budget for this technology.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the percentage of non-electrical heat demand that is met by renewable technologies.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

There are a number of options that have the potential to play an important role in decarbonising heat alongside electrification.

Increasing the proportion of green gas in the grid is a practical, established, and cost-effective way of reducing carbon emissions. The Green Gas Support Scheme supports injection of biomethane into the gas grid.

The £450 million Boiler Upgrade Scheme in limited circumstances supports the installation of biomass boilers in domestic and small non-domestic buildings with grants up to £5,000.

The Government is supporting industry to deliver a neighbourhood trial by 2024 and a village scale trial of hydrogen heating by 2025 to take decisions in 2026 on the role of hydrogen in decarbonising heating, and consulting on the case for enabling or requiring hydrogen-ready boilers and broader heating system efficiencies.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Net zero policy tracker: March 2023 update, published by Green Alliance on 17 March; and in particular, the finding that only 28 per cent of emissions reductions needed to reach net zero by 2050 are covered by confirmed policies.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Net Zero Growth Plan sets out the package that will meet carbon budgets. The Government has met every Carbon Budget to date and through the Carbon Budget Delivery Plan has set out quantified proposals and policies to exceed Carbon Budgets 4 and 5 and 97% of Carbon Budget 6.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that older buildings, which may be subject to stricter planning regulations, can become energy neutral.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

There is no “one-size-fits-all" approach to tackle the UK’s diverse building stock. Changes need to be sensitive to the character, appearance and specific characteristics of a listed building

Statutory guidance has been published for minimum energy efficiency standards for carrying out building work to existing homes (Part L1B of the Building Regulations), including guidance for listed buildings.

Work is currently ongoing to meet the commitment in the British Energy Security Strategy to review the planning barriers households face when installing energy efficiency measures in conservation areas and listed buildings.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much they plan to invest in the installation of energy efficient heat pumps in homes as a replacement for gas boilers.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government is putting in place a combination of regulatory and public spending measures to achieve at least 600,000 heat pump installations a year by 2028.

Support for Heat Pumps is available under a range of government schemes including, the Home Upgrade Scheme, Social Housing Decarbonisation scheme and Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

The Government has announced we are extending the Boiler Upgrade Scheme until 2028, to support the installation of heat pumps, in domestic and small non-domestic buildings. This builds on £450 million of funding we have already committed between 2022 and 2025.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Net zero policy tracker: March 2023 update by Green Alliance, published on 17 March; and in particular, what assessment they have made of the finding that only 28 per cent of emissions reductions needed to reach net zero by 2050 are covered by confirmed policies.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Net Zero Growth Plan sets out the package that will meet carbon budgets. The Government has met every Carbon Budget to date and through the Carbon Budget Delivery Plan has set out quantified proposals and policies to exceed Carbon Budgets 4 and 5 and 97% of Carbon Budget 6.

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 merits of reforming the wholesale energy market to replace the merit order with an average trading price for electricity.

Answered by Graham Stuart

Like all commodities markets globally, the wholesale electricity market works through marginal pricing, where the price is set by the additional unit needed to meet overall demand. This provides a signal of the value of consuming or generating an additional unit at any given time, on which both operational and investment decisions can be made.

As part of the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) programme, the Government is considering a range of potential options to maintain the benefits of marginal pricing, while shielding consumers from the impacts of potential future commodity price spikes and ensuring they benefit from lower cost renewables.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help people with oil-based heating systems, who primarily live in rural areas without main gas supplies, with the cost of energy.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) scheme provides a £200 grant payment to UK households that use alternative fuels for heating instead of mains gas. Most households received the payment automatically through their electricity supplier, who were obliged to pay customers during February. Traditional prepayment customers may receive a voucher which they can redeem within 3 months. For the small proportion of households who could not be paid automatically, the online portal to apply for the support is open on gov.uk now. A small proportion of households will need to apply for the AFP, for example because they do not have a relationship with an electricity supplier. Applications for this Alternative Fund opened on 6 March through a GOV.UK portal which includes an overview of eligibility and what steps households need to take to apply for support.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government why they paid Chinese state-owned power group CGN over £100mn to withdraw from its proposed 20 per cent share of the Sizewell C nuclear power station project.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Following constructive commercial negotiations, CGN decided to exit the project as part of the Government investment in Sizewell C. The agreement to secure their exit covered value of their shareholding, their contribution to the project’s development and a commercial return reflecting their work to date. The details of this arrangement are commercially confidential.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of disabled people affected by changes to the eligibility criteria for the Warm Home Discount Scheme between 2022—23.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As a result of expanding and reforming the scheme in England and Wales, the Government estimated in the final impact assessment that 160,000 more households, where a person has a disability or long-term illness, will receive a rebate.

These changes do not apply in Scotland, where customers apply for a Broader Group rebate through their energy suppliers, who can set their own eligibility criteria.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the number of people will no longer receive the Warm Homes Discount as a result of changes in the eligibility criteria for 2023.

Answered by Amanda Solloway

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bradford South on 9 March 2023 to Question 156174.

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 facilitate grid connections to allow the deployment of (a) renewables and (b) battery storage projects.

Answered by Graham Stuart

The Government works with Ofgem and network companies to accelerate connections by releasing network capacity and improving the connections process. As part of this work, the Electricity System Operator is seeking expressions of interest, by 30 April 2023, from developers who are willing and able to connect earlier than their allocated connection date. The Government will publish a Connections Action Plan in the summer, which will articulate actions by government, Ofgem and network companies to accelerate network connections, including for renewable energy and battery storage projects.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what (a) recent discussions he has had with and (b) steps he is taking with the Welsh Government on upgrading the national grid transmission network to ensure that it has the necessary capacity to transmit electricity from (i) offshore wind and other (ii) small scale community generation and large scale renewable generation projects.

Answered by Graham Stuart

The Government recently published the “Powering Up Britain” publications which reaffirm the Government's commitment to accelerating delivery of electricity network infrastructure across Great Britain, as a critical enabler for energy security and net zero. The Government will publish an action plan to accelerate network connections in the summer and will respond to networks commissioner Nick Winser’s recommendations later this year.

The Government’s January 2023 response to the Welsh Affairs Committee’s inquiry also highlights work to upgrade grid capacity in Wales, including measures specific to offshore wind such as the Holistic Network Design, where Welsh Government officials are invited to attend relevant governance forums.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the (a) average annual cost between 31 March 2022 and 31 March 2023 and (b) projected annual cost until 31 March 2024 of (i) electricity and (ii) heating bills for households on communal and district heat networks; and if he will make a comparative assessment of the cost of (A) those customer's bills and (B) the bills of other domestic customers.

Answered by Amanda Solloway

The table below makes a comparative assessment of heating bills for a heat network customer and a typical domestic gas boiler customer. Bills are given as annualised estimates to account for heat consumption varying throughout the year. Time periods have been separated to reflect the introductions of government support schemes. No estimates have been made beyond June 2023 due to uncertainty in future prices.

An electricity comparison has not been included above as most households with domestic electricity contracts and the same electricity demand will face the same electricity bills, regardless of whether they are connected to a heat network.

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 ensure that energy suppliers for communal and district heat networks pass on the full benefit of the Energy Bills Discount Scheme to their domestic customers from 1 April 2023.

Answered by Amanda Solloway

As with the EBRS, the Government will be introducing regulations to ensure that heat networks pass through the discount in a 'just and reasonable' manner and to set up wider enforcement measures. As part of this, the Energy Ombudsman and the Consumer Council will be empowered to hear complaints from consumers and micro-businesses in Great Britain and Northern Ireland respectively.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to change the minimum improvement requirements necessary for homes to qualify for ECO4.

Answered by Graham Stuart

There are no current plans to change the minimum improvement requirements.

The Government monitors ECO delivery, and if it determines that changes to the policy are required then suitable options will be explored.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the minimum improvement requirements are for homes to be eligible for (a) ECO3 and (b) ECO4.

Answered by Graham Stuart

ECO3 ended on 31 March 2022, and ECO4 will run until 31 March 2026.

Under ECO3, householders needed to qualify by being in receipt of eligible benefits. Minimum improvement to properties was not a requirement.

ECO4 is focused on providing support to low-income and vulnerable households living in the least energy efficient properties. Under ECO4, there is a minimum requirement for energy suppliers to improve homes in an EPC band F or G to at least a band D and band D or E homes to at least a band C.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what grants his Department provides to (a) individuals and (b) businesses to promote energy efficiency.

Answered by Graham Stuart

The Government provides grant funding through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) and Home Upgrade Scheme (HUG), with HUG grant funding being delivered through Local Authorities.

The Government also provides support through the Social Housing Decarbonisation and Energy Company Obligation (ECO) Scheme. The ECO4 scheme and newly announced Great British Insulation scheme, being launched in Spring 2023, are delivered through a supplier obligation.

Through the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund, £500 million of grant funding will support industry with high energy usage to cut their energy bills and carbon emissions by investing in energy efficiency and low carbon technologies. The BUS also supports the installations of low carbon heating measures in small non-domestic buildings.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make it his policy to phase out use of biomass.

Answered by Graham Stuart

The Government has no plans to remove support for biomass generating stations that are already supported under the Renewables Obligation and the Contracts for Difference schemes. Such generators undertook their investments in establishing their stations under these schemes and have a statutory right to their existing support.

The Government has committed to developing a Biomass Strategy, which will be published by the end of quarter two this year. The Strategy will review how sustainable biomass could be best utilised across the economy to help achieve the UK’s net zero, and wider environmental, commitments while also supporting energy security.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his priorities are for tackling climate change.

Answered by Graham Stuart

Britain is leading the world on tackling climate change. Between 1990 and 2021 the UK has cut emissions by 48% while growing the economy by 65%, decarbonising faster than any other G7 country. The Government’s plan, as set out in Powering Up Britain, shows how the Government will enhance our country’s energy security, seize the economic opportunities of the transition and deliver on its net zero commitments.

The Powering Up Britain publication can be found here.

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 incentivise new wave and tidal energy projects.

Answered by Graham Stuart

Wave and tidal energy projects are eligible to apply for the Contracts for Difference scheme. Allocation Round 5 opened on 30 March 2023. The budget available for emerging technologies is £35m, inclusive of a £10m ringfenced minimum for Tidal Stream.

In addition, the Government supports the development of new wave and tidal energy in the UK through a suite of research funding programmes.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what support his Department provides to people who are unable to apply for Alternative Fuels Payment because they do not spend the minimum £200 and who depend upon alternative fuels.

Answered by Amanda Solloway

The Government has increased the number of receipts an applicant can use to evidence £200 of alternative fuel usage from 2 to 10. The Government has worked constructively with stakeholders to reach this decision. A limit is necessary however, to help prevent fraudulent applications.

The window to apply for funding closes on 31 May 2023, meaning households can still make purchases to bring their total spend to £200 ahead of that date.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department is implementing a mechanism to help ensure that households are not rejected from the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding due to records incorrectly stating that the £66 and £67 monthly discount from the Energy Bills Support Scheme has already been automatically applied to a postal address.

Answered by Amanda Solloway

Rejected applicants of the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding can contact the contact centre helpline on 0808 175 3287 where a representative can provide additional information on the reasons why their application was rejected and provide further assistance where necessary.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if his Department will take steps to publish the data it holds on Alternative Fuel Payments being claimed by owners of (a) second and (b) holiday homes.

Answered by Amanda Solloway

The Government will not be publishing data on Alternative Fuel Payments being claimed by second homeowners or holiday homes, as the Government has taken the decision to only allow people to apply to the AFP Alternative Fund for their main homes.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his Department's policy is on the use of funds available from unredeemed vouchers in the Energy Bills Support Scheme when it ends in June 2023.

Answered by Amanda Solloway

The Energy Bills Support Scheme has delivered £400 to assist households with energy costs this winter. The Government encourage traditional prepayment meter users to redeem their vouchers and apply the credit to their meter as soon as possible. Vouchers have been sent each month, between October and March, via text, email or post by electricity suppliers. Vouchers that have expired or been damaged or lost can be reissued by suppliers on request from the customer. All vouchers must be redeemed by 30 June 2023.

Following the closure of the Scheme, all unused funds will be returned to HM Treasury.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps for the value of unredeemed vouchers under the Energy Bills Support Scheme to be made available for organisations working to help tackle fuel poverty.

Answered by Amanda Solloway

The Energy Bills Support Scheme has delivered £400 to assist households with energy costs this winter. The Government encourage traditional prepayment meter users to redeem their vouchers and apply the credit to their meter as soon as possible. Vouchers have been sent each month, between October and March, via text, email or post by electricity suppliers. Vouchers that have expired or been damaged or lost can be reissued by suppliers on request from the customer. All vouchers must be redeemed by 30 June 2023.

Following the closure of the Scheme, all unused funds will be returned to HM Treasury.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether unredeemed vouchers under the Energy Bills Support Scheme will be redeemable by those people entitled to them after June 2023.

Answered by Amanda Solloway

The Energy Bills Support Scheme has delivered £400 to assist households with energy costs this winter. The Government encourage traditional prepayment meter users to redeem their vouchers and apply the credit to their meter as soon as possible. Vouchers have been sent each month, between October and March, via text, email or post by electricity suppliers. Vouchers that have expired or been damaged or lost can be reissued by suppliers on request from the customer. All vouchers must be redeemed by 30 June 2023.

Following the closure of the Scheme, all unused funds will be returned to HM Treasury.

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 ending the free allocation of UK Emissions Trading Scheme permits for oil and gas companies.

Answered by Graham Stuart

UK ETS industrial participants, such as those in oil and gas sectors, are provided with free allocations reducing their exposure to the carbon price and mitigating the risk of carbon leakage. The UK ETS Authority is in the process of reviewing the free allocation policy and consulted last year on elements of this. The Government will publish the response in due course.

The Government will also be consulting later this year on potential changes to the methodology for distributing free allocations and ways to target those most at risk of carbon leakage.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much total funding the Government has allocated to (a) ECO3 and (b) ECO4.

Answered by Graham Stuart

The ECO scheme is an energy efficiency scheme that places a requirement on larger energy suppliers to deliver energy efficiency and heating measures to people’s homes. Under ECO3, which ran from December 2018 to March 2022, £8.547 billion in lifetime savings was achieved. ECO4 began in April 2022, and will run until March 2026. ECO4 has a target of £224.3 million in annual bill savings over the life of the scheme. The impact assessment for ECO4 moved to annual, rather than lifetime, bill savings due to changes in how ECO projects are scored.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many and what proportion of homes have been retrofitted under ECO4; and how many homes the Government aimed to retrofit by March 2023.

Answered by Graham Stuart

Information on the number of homes that have received measures under ECO4 can be found in the latest Household Energy Efficiency Statistics Release.

ECO4 is the new iteration of the Energy Company Obligation scheme which is set to run from 2022 to 2026. The Government estimates that over this period 450,000 homes will be upgraded. Suppliers have until the end of ECO4 to meet their obligation.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many homes have been insulated through the ECO4 programme.

Answered by Graham Stuart

Information on the number of insulation measures installed in homes through ECO can be found in the latest Household Energy Efficiency Statistics release.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to make it his policy to deliver 8GW hydrogen capable power stations by 2030.

Answered by Graham Stuart

The Government believes hydrogen-to-power can provide reliable low carbon flexible generation while creating a decarbonisation pathway for unabated generation, supporting decarbonisation ambitions and maintaining security of supply.

Government analysis shows that having hydrogen available in the power sector could achieve lower emissions at a lower cost than scenarios without hydrogen. The Government therefore intends to consult in 2023 on the need and potential design options for market intervention to support hydrogen to power.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will hold discussions with Ofgem on the potential merits of allowing businesses to renegotiate their energy contracts with suppliers; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Graham Stuart

Contract negotiations are a matter for businesses and their energy suppliers. Businesses should contact their supplier to discuss renegotiations. The Government is providing support to businesses through the Energy Bill Discount Scheme until April 2024. Ministers from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Business and Trade met recently with non-domestic suppliers, Ofgem and industry representatives to discuss what more could be done to support customers who may have fixed in at higher prices in Autumn 2022. The Government is working with Ofgem on this matter and the on-going non-domestic market review.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when his Department plans to respond to the consultation entitled Designing a framework for transparency of carbon content in energy products: call for evidence, published on 16 August 2021.

Answered by Graham Stuart

As announced in December 2021, the Department’s work on carbon content in energy products was paused to prioritise activity related to the global increases in gas prices.

As described in the March 2023 Energy Security Plan, reform is now necessary so that the retail market drives the transition to a secure, low-cost and low-carbon energy system. A summer 2023 Call for Evidence will examine how the regulatory framework can help deliver this vision.

The Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) programme is also exploring reforms to ensure that Britain’s electricity (non-retail) market arrangements harness the benefits of cheap, abundant renewables.

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 impact of the US Inflation Reduction Act on investment in low carbon industries in the UK.

Answered by Graham Stuart

The UK has seen nearly £200 billion of investment into low carbon sectors since 2010, 50% higher than the US as a share of GDP. We’re cementing our leadership in clean technologies through targeted investment, regulation, policy and market frameworks.

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 the policies set out in his Department's policy paper entitled Powering Up Britain on the Government's net zero targets.

Answered by Grant Shapps

Powering Up Britain sets out the policies that enable our carbon budgets to be met. It demonstrates we are world leaders delivering on both energy security and net zero - two sides of the same coin.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2023 to Question 147173 on Energy Bills Discount Scheme, what criteria was used to establish that (a) libraries, (b) nature reserves and (c) museums should be classified as Eligible Sectors for Energy and Trade Intensive Industries as part of the Energy Bills Discount Scheme.

Answered by Amanda Solloway

The thresholds for eligibility for the higher level of Energy and Trade Intensive Industries support under the Energy Bill Discount Scheme is based on businesses operating in the top 20^th percentile for both gas and electricity intensity and 40^th percentile for trade/goods intensity. Businesses have to meet all thresholds to be eligible.

The methodology used to determine the eligibility of SIC Codes for the higher Energy and Trade Intensive Industry (ETII) support is published at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-bills-discount-scheme-factsheet.

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 has made of the number of families in fuel poverty.

Answered by Amanda Solloway

In 2022, there were an estimated 3.26 million households in fuel poverty in England.

The annual statistics report on fuel poverty in England, published in February 2023, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-fuel-poverty-statistics-report-2023.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when his Department plans to respond to the letter of 7 March 2023 from the hon. Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun on nuclear power.

Answered by Andrew Bowie - Shadow Minister (Energy Security and Net Zero)

I wrote to the hon. Member on 17 April about nuclear power.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much funding his Department has allocated to the Track 2 Carbon Capture Usage and Storage clusters.

Answered by Graham Stuart

The Government launched Track-2 of the CCUS Cluster Sequencing Process in March to identify two additional clusters, contributing to the Government's ambition to capture 20-30 million tonnes CO2 per year across the economy by 2030.

The Government has supported industrial clusters (including potential Track 2 clusters) since 2019 to develop their Front End and Engineering Design (FEED) studies for the deployment of CCUS and other decarbonisation infrastructure, by providing £171 million of funding via the UKRI-led Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge (IDC).

On 15 March 2023, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an unprecedented £20 billion investment in the early development of CCUS to help meet the Government’s climate commitments. This funding is not currently allocated to specific projects or tracks.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much funding his Department has allocated to the succesful Track-1 carbon capture, usage and storage projects.

Answered by Graham Stuart

My Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £20bn of funding to store as much carbon and create as many jobs as possible through Track-1 and beyond.

Track 1 Projects have only been shortlisted at this point and are not guaranteed funding until negotiations are complete.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, for what reason Alternative Fuel Payments are not made to building society accounts.

Answered by Amanda Solloway

The system for bank account payments in the UK is more standardised than for building society payments. Therefore, to reduce the burden on local authorities, the Government has taken the decision to only allow bank account payments for the Alternative Fuel Payment.

Basic bank accounts are free to open, and do not have the same credit check requirements as a standard current account. Applicants can open a basic bank account in branch, or sometimes online or over the phone, depending on the bank.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether an appeal process is in place for people whose applications for the Alternative Fuel Payment are refused.

Answered by Amanda Solloway

Applicants should contact the contact centre helpline on 0808 175 3943 if the appeal relates to their initial application. If the appeal relates to evidence provided as part of the application, applicants should contact their Local Authority. Appeals may be escalated to the Department in some circumstances where further checks are required.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the cost to energy customers of (a) Bulb Energy Ltd being placed in special administration and (b) the takeover by Octopus Energy.

Answered by Amanda Solloway

As per the recent NAO report, the latest estimate is that there will be an overall net cost of £240m: https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/investigation-into-bulb-energy/.

This estimate will be updated in due course once wholesale energy costs are fully reconciled.

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 public opinion on (a) installation and (b) capacity of onshore wind.

Answered by Graham Stuart

The Department conducts regular public opinion research into a range of energy technologies, including onshore wind. The full results of these studies are published on our website at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/public-attitudes-tracking-survey.

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 report by the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales entitled Homes fit for the future: the retrofit challenge, published in July 2021, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his Department's policies of that report's recommendation that the UK Government should provide £3.6 billion of funding over 10 years to help decarbonise and improve the quality of Welsh homes.

Answered by Graham Stuart

The promotion of energy efficiency is devolved to Wales. The Welsh Government provides funding for home energy efficiency improvements.

The UK Government works with the Welsh Government in respect of regulatory measures providing funding for energy efficiency, including the Energy Company Obligation which covers Wales, and the forthcoming £1 billion Great British Insulation Scheme, which could save around 300,000 of the least energy efficient homes £300-£400 each year.

The UK Government recently announced the extension of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme until 2028, to support the installation of heat pumps in domestic and small non-domestic buildings in England and Wales.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to increase private investment into the heat networks industry from sources outside of existing Government schemes.

Answered by Graham Stuart

As acknowledged in the recent Green Finance Strategy, heat networks will require significant private sector finance to help deliver decarbonised heating. The Department for Energy Security & Net Zero is engaging with both the public and private sectors to encourage private investment into the market. This includes policies such as heat network zoning and market regulation to improve the investment environment for heat network investors, publicising the pipeline of heat network projects which currently stands at £2.2 billion, and working with the UK Investment Bank to encourage private sector funding into the development of local authority led heat networks.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what money has been allocated to the (a) Acorn, (b) Hynet and (c) East Coast carbon capture scheme cluster.

Answered by Graham Stuart

The Government is supporting industrial clusters to develop their Front End and Engineering Design (FEED) studies, for the deployment of CCUS and other decarbonisation infrastructure, through the provision of £171 million of funding via the UKRI-led Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge (IDC). This includes:

• HyNet: c. £32.8m;
• Acorn: c. £31.3m;
• ECC: c. £86.2m.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many licenses OFGEM has awarded for companies to become Independent Distribution Network Operators.

Answered by Amanda Solloway

Ofgem has granted licences to 16 Independent Distribution Network Operators.

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 whether Ofgem’s proposed Inflexible Offers Licence Condition will prevent energy companies from cutting off electricity capacity in one plant and offering electricity from another plant at a higher cost; and what estimate he has made of how much revenue energy companies have potentially made via balancing payments in each of the last five years.

Answered by Amanda Solloway

There are many factors that have driven the rise in balancing costs over recent years, including an ongoing and growing need to take actions to maintain system security and high energy prices throughout the wholesale market which have increased the costs of these balancing actions.

It is critical in all times that consumers pay a fair price for their energy. Ofgem have consulted on new rules to protect consumers from the high balancing costs witnessed in recent years and are working to introduce these new rules later this year. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on the effectiveness of the proposals at this stage.

Balancing costs over the last five years were:

- £1.2bn in 2018/2019

- £1.3bn in 2019/2020

- £1.9bn in 2020/2021

- £3.1bn in 2021/2022

- £3.9bn in 2022/23 (note: incomplete as March 2023 data is not yet available)

Source: National Grid ESO Monthly Balancing Services Summary data.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, which solid fuel suppliers his Department consulted in the development of the Alternative Fuels Payment scheme.

Answered by Amanda Solloway

The Government regularly engages with consumer groups, industry bodies, and other stakeholders, including fuel suppliers, and is working with them to spread the message to alternative fuel users. For example, fuel distributors have provided their customers with information about this scheme.

Found: ffiRt Hon Grant Shapps MP Secretary of State Department for Energy Security & Net Zero 1 Victoria Street

Found: Rt Hon Graham Stuart MP Minister of State at the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero Department

Found: Department for Energy Security & Net ZeroRt Hon Grant Shapps MP Secretary of State Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

Found: with current policy responsibility in this area, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ

Found: Rt Hon Graham Stuart MP Minister of State at the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero Department

Found: Communities Act 2006 is amended as follows. (2) In the following provisions, for “or BEIS” substitute “or DESNZ

Found: contested world , November 2023 , paras 2.23, 5.36 50 Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ

Found: other departments and risk holders (for example, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ

Found: Start now What you need to know After you apply, DESNZ (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Found: We’re sponsored and funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) (formerly the

Found: advisory Non- Departmental Public Body sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ

Found: The report evaluates the assessment made by the Department for Energy Securit y and Net Zero (DESNZ)

Found: its report prepared in response to a request from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ

Found: Development of the Framework has been led by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)

Found: /sustainability/our-insights/opportunities-for-uk-businesses-in-the-net-zero-transition 3 Internal DESNZ

Found: DESNZ analysis of the BloombergNEF, Energy transition investment dataset converting to 2022 prices

Found: Rt Hon Graham Stuart MP Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

Found: Rt Hon Andrew Bowie MP Minister for Nuclear and Networks Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

Found: September 2023 Oil and Gas Production Projections and Latest DESNZ and CCC Demand Projections .

Found: prepared in consultation with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Of fice, the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

Found: nsultation has still not yet been published by the Department for Energy Securit y and Net Zero (DESNZ

Found: Nuclear and Networks and supporting of ficials from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ

Found: Hon Graham Stuart MP Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

Found: Andrew Bowie MP Minister for Nuclear and Networks Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

Found: I have contacted DESNZ and their position remains: We are still aiming to provide our update on Track

Found: Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) and the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ

Found: • Officials are engaging with DESNZ following the publication of Allocation Round 5 (AR5) results

Found: @gov.scot QuarterlyThe annual subnational energy consumption statistics are typically published by DESNZ

Found: • An initi al consultation was held last year and DESNZ published a summary of consultation responses

Found: The Sc ottish Government provided to a short -term review project managed by the UK Government (DESNZ

Found: out to [redacted] @beis.gov.uk International engagement On 8 -9th March a small delegation from DESNZ

Found: The annual subnational energy consumption statistics are typically published by DESNZ in December.

Found: State for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance Department for Energy, Security & Net Zero

Found: aware of the need to change the way homes are heated to reach (UK Government) net zero targets DESNZ

Found: generation figures by local authority are available through the department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ

Found: This analysis was undertaken by the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and full det

Found: generation figures by local authority are available through the department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ

Found: Arrangements (REMA) project is being led by the UK Government Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ

Found: The Sumitomo Electric lines are in there and a part is highlighted in yellow with comments from DESNZ

Found: Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS ), now the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ

Found: retail gas prices (real 2021 p/kWh) Notes: Based on D epartment for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ

Found: Scottish Parliament (2023). 27 Review of electricity market arrangements - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) , DESNZ

Found: Targets): Maintain below 50g CO 2e per kilowatt hour Most recent data: 2020 Data source(s): DESNZ

Found: Inventory, which is overseen by the UK Government Department for Ener gy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ