Electricity Generation: Renewable Energy
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, Security and Net Zero, when she will launch a consultation on removing the barriers to selling clean electricity.
Answer
The Government has announced that it will consult on the barriers preventing the development of community energy schemes. The Government is actively working with the Community Energy Contact Group on the content of the consultation and plans to publish the consultation as soon as possible once these discussions have concluded.
Graham Stuart, Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
20th February 2024
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Power Stations: Hydrogen
Question
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 blue hydrogen plant commissioning by 2030.
Answer
‘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. The information requested can be found in the table ‘Technical and cost assumptions (2020 real prices) within the annex to the report. Therefore, the cost from the table is £531 /kW hydrogen HHV meaning £531M for the 1GW plant.
Please see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hydrogen-production-costs-2021(opens in a new tab)
We will continue to monitor and update cost estimates based on new evidence as it becomes available.
Andrew Bowie, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Nuclear and Renewables)
13th February 2024
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Power Stations: Hydrogen
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate her Department has made of the operating expenditure cost of generating one tonne of blue hydrogen in a plant commissioning by 2030.
Answer
'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. The annex to the report (worksheet '2030_R') sets out a range of levelised costs for gas reformation with CCUS (blue) hydrogen production commissioning in 2030. Costs range from 1,454 to 3,096 £/tonne hydrogen depending on technology [1]. Please see:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hydrogen-production-costs-2021(opens in a new tab)
We will continue to monitor and update cost estimates based on new evidence as it becomes available.
[1] Costs are calculated on the basis that the hydrogen is used for combustion and the latent heat of vaporisation of water is recovered.
Andrew Bowie, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Nuclear and Renewables)
13th February 2024
Click here to see the answer on the Parliament website
Power Stations: Hydrogen
Question
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. (13175)
Answer
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
Andrew Bowie, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Nuclear and Renewables)
13th February 2024
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Power Stations: Hydrogen
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what her Department's latest estimate is of the mass of hydrogen that would be produced per running hour by a 1GW blue hydrogen plant.
Answer
A 1GW[1] blue hydrogen production plant running for 1 hour at full capacity would produce 1GWh of hydrogen, equivalent to 25.4 tons.
[1] Rated as 1GW on the basis that the hydrogen it produces will be used for combustion and the latent heat of vaporisation of water is recovered
Andrew Bowie, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Nuclear and Renewables)
13th February 2024
Click here to see the answer on the Parliament website
Power Stations: Hydrogen
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent estimate she has made of the mass of hydrogen required to be burned in a hydrogen-fired power plant to generate 1GWh of electricity
Answer
Figures published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in the June 2022 Hydrogen Readiness Report suggest that an 800MWh hydrogen-fired power plant would require 50 tonnes of hydrogen fuel per hour. Therefore, a 1GWh plant could be expected to require 62.5 tonnes of hydrogen.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-generation-costs-2023
Andrew Bowie, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Nuclear and Renewables)
13th February 2024
Click here to see the answer on the Parliament website
Power Stations: Hydrogen
Question
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
Answer
‘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.
Andrew Bowie, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Nuclear and Renewables)
13th February 2024
Click here to see the answer on the Parliament website
Power Stations: Hydrogen
Question
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.
Answer
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
Andrew Bowie, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Nuclear and Renewables)
13th February 2024
Click here to see the answer on the Parliament website
Natural Gas: Carbon Emissions
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of bringing forward the ban on flaring to 2025.
Answer
I refer my Hon Friend to the answer I gave to the Hon Member for Bristol East (Kerry McCarthy) on 13 June 2023 to Question UIN 188490(opens in a new tab).
Graham Stuart MP, Minister of State for Energy, Security and Net Zero
31st January 2024
Click here to see the answer on the Parliament website
Heating: Renewable Fuels
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions his Department has had with industry on recent data on the adequacy of global (a) production and (b) supply of (i) hydrotreated vegetable oil and (ii) other renewable liquid fuels for domestic heating usage in the UK.
Answer
The Government meets regularly with industry representatives to discuss levels of global production and supply of renewable liquid fuels.
The Government expects heat pumps will be the primary technology for decarbonising off-grid buildings. The Government recognises that not all off-grid properties will be suitable for a heat pump and there will be a role for alternative low carbon technologies where heat pumps cannot be used.
Graham Stuart MP, Minister of State for Climate
12th June 2023
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Housing: Insulation
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support households (a) with a low income, (b) in listed buildings, (c) in long term rentals and (d) in short term holiday lets in rural communities to improve the insulation of their homes.
Answer
The Government has allocated £3.2 billion in this Parliament to improve home energy efficiency. The Government's approach to supporting fuel poor households was set out in the fuel poverty strategy, Sustainable Warmth, in February 2021.
The cost-of-living crisis gives even greater urgency for action to make homes more energy efficient and reduce energy bills. Through the Governments ‘Help to Heat’ capital schemes, domestic consumers could potentially save between £300and £700 per annum, based on the current price cap.
Work is 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.
Graham Stuart MP, Minister of State for Climate
1st November 2022
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Electric Vehicles: Charging Points
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the rollout out of Electric Vehicle charging points, particularly in rural areas.
Answer
Of the £2.5 billion of Government funding committed to the Electric Vehicle (EV) transition since 2020, £1.6 billion will be invested into accelerating the roll-out of charging infrastructure, targeting support on rapid chargepoints on motorways and major A roads to assuage any anxiety around long journeys, and installing more on-street chargepoints near homes and workplaces to make charging reliable and easy.
In the spring we published our electric vehicle infrastructure strategy, which defines our vision for the continued roll-out of a world-leading network. The strategy laid out our commitments to make EV charging cheaper and more convenient than refuelling at a petrol station right across the country.
The Department for Transport monitors the progress of the installation of chargepoints and publishes data, broken down to local authority areas, on a quarterly basis, the latest of which was as at 1st July 2022. Government will continue to monitor market developments to determine whether any significant gaps in charging infrastructure provision emerge in the medium term and whether there may be a case for direct central government support in areas of market failure, which may include rural areas.
Jackie Doyle-Price MP, Minister of State for Industry
25th October 2022
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Biomass Strategy: Publication
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his Department's timescale is for the publication of the Government's biomass strategy.
Answer
The Government is actively progressing work on the biomass strategy, including work on the assessment of the priority use of biomass across the economy, which will be explained in the forthcoming strategy. The Government plans to publish the Biomass Strategy in due course.
Graham Stuart MP, Minister of State for Climate
20th September 2022
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Procurement: China
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to help ensure that UK businesses can prevent the products of human rights violations in China, particularly in the supply chain for solar farms through polysilicon, from being installed in local areas.
Answer
We are thoroughly investigating reports of forced labour in the global solar panel supply chain. In January, we announced a comprehensive package of measures to help ensure no UK organisations are complicit in the serious human rights violations being perpetrated against the Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang.
Greg Hands MP, Minister of State for Business, Energy and Clean Growth
28th September 2021
Click here to see the answer on the Parliament website.
Plastics: Waste Disposal
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what research the Government is funding on how UK businesses and their supply chains make, use and dispose of plastic, and the risks those actions pose to human health.
Answer
The Government put together a package of £100 million for research and innovation to tackle the issues that arise from plastic waste. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funds a variety of projects related to plastics including around understanding and improving supply chains and environmental and health impacts. For example, the Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge, with £60m of funding from UKRI through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund and matched by £149m from industry, is supporting academic-led research to address known problems and to support industry-led collaborative research and development of new technologies, establishing the UK as a leader in smart sustainable packaging and supporting a reduction in waste entering the environment. This builds on the success of the £20m Plastic Research and Innovation Fund, which established projects like the UK Circular Plastics Network which brings together the diverse users of plastic products and realise the best means for reducing plastic waste.
Nadhim Zahawi MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Industry
14th July 2021
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Wind Power: Celtic Sea
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made ahead of COP26 of the potential merits of developing floating offshore wind generation in the Celtic Sea to help the UK Government deliver its target of 1GW of energy by 2030.
Answer
The Celtic Sea is an area with significant potential for floating offshore wind. Following engagement with the market, The Crown Estate is currently designing new seabed leasing for floating wind in the Celtic Sea, focusing on projects up to 300MW. The number, size and locations of potential projects will not be known until the process is completed.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP, Minister of State for Business, Energy and Clean Growth
14th July 2021
Click here to see the answer on the Parliament website.
Wind Power: Celtic Sea
Question
To ask the Secretary of Sate, what steps he plans to take ahead of COP26 to achieve the Government's (a) net zero target and (b) levelling-up agenda in the context of the development of floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea.
Answer
The UK has achieved record clean growth - between 1990 and 2019, our economy grew by 78% while our emissions decreased by 44%, the fastest in the G7. The government has recently laid legislation for the UK’s sixth carbon budget, proposing a target which would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels. This marks a decisive step towards net zero by 2050 and builds on the series of ambitious plans we have announced since committing to net zero emissions in law, including through my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan and our new UN climate target to reduce emissions in 2030 by at least 68% compared to 1990 levels – the highest reduction target made by a major economy to date.
Through the Ten Point Plan, our Energy White Paper and Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, we have set out concrete steps we will take to build back greener from the pandemic and reach net zero emissions by 2050. Ahead of COP26, we will bring forward further bold proposals, including a Net Zero Strategy, to cut emissions and create new jobs and industries across the whole country.
The Ten Point Plan announced our aim to quadruple the capacity of our offshore wind available to generate 40GW, including 1GW of floating offshore wind by 2030 - enough to power every home in the country. To do this we are investing £160 million for ports and infrastructure, which could support up to 60,000 jobs. The government is working with the offshore wind sector, through the Offshore Wind Sector Deal, to grow and strengthen a competitive UK based supply chain creating jobs around the UK.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP, Minister of State for Business, Energy and Clean Growth
11th June 2021