Jonathan Edwards – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Edwards on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what representations her Department has received from the Welsh Government on energy costs for the steel industry in the last five years.

Andrea Leadsom

We have regular contact with all the Devolved Administrations across the Department’s responsibilities, including in relation to the current challenges facing the steel industry.

The Welsh Government has participated in the three Ministerial Working Groups which the Government established as part of our comprehensive response to the current market conditions faced by the UK steel industry.

The Government has taken clear action to help the steel industry, including on electricity costs. Since 2013, the UK steel industry has received over £59m in compensation for the cost of the EU Emissions Trading System and the Carbon Price Floor passed to them by their electricity suppliers onto their bills. UK steel companies can now also apply for compensation for the costs of renewables policies that are passed on through bills.