Tag: Callum McCaig

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Callum McCaig on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what plans her Department has to increase electricity generation in 2015-16 and 2016-17.

Andrea Leadsom

Our priority is to ensure that British families and business have access to secure affordable energy supplies. We are working with National Grid to make sure there is always sufficient generating capacity available to meet demand even in challenging conditions, such as extremely cold weather.

National Grid forecasts show Peak demand for electricity for 2015/16 and 2016/17 is expected to be broadly stable, which is consistent with recent trends.

Since 2014 National Grid have had the ability to procure a Contingency Balancing Reserve and they have secured 2.4GW of capacity through this mechanism to ensure supplies for this winter.

On 15 October, Ofgem commenced its consultation on the extension of the cost recovery arrangements for the contingency balancing services to allow National Grid’s contingency balancing services to continue for the winters prior to the introduction of the Capacity Market in 18/19. National Grid’s Tender for the Contingency Balancing Reserve (subject to the outcome of the Ofgem consultation) opened on 2 November. The Government supports the position taken by National Grid and Ofgem that Grid should retain the ability to procure the contingency balancing services for the next two winters and that this tool will help ensure sufficient margins until the first delivery year of the Capacity Market.

Beyond winter 2017/18, the Capacity Market will take over as the long term solution for security of supply, driving new investment in gas and demand side capacity in the future. The first Capacity Market auction was successfully concluded in December 2014 and the next will commence on 8December 2015. We have announced our intention to procure a total of 47.9GW capacity for the delivery year 2019/20 and that the target capacity for the auction this December will be 45.4GW. The balance (2.5 GW) will be procured in 2018, one year ahead of delivery.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Callum McCaig on 2016-01-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of devolving to the Scottish Parliament all aspects of (a) gaming and betting legislation, (b) including curbing the terminals’ speed of play and maximum stakes for fixed-odds betting terminals and (c) other regulation of fixed-odds betting terminals.

Tracey Crouch

The Scotland Bill will give the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Ministers the power to vary the number of sub-category B2 gaming machines (FOBTs) permitted by new betting premises licences. The UK Government will retain the equivalent powers on FOBTs for the rest of the UK, except for Northern Ireland where gambling is a devolved matter.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Callum McCaig on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent progress his Department has made on developing an Energy Innovation Strategy.

Mr Nick Hurd

Following the recent Machinery of Government changes, the detail of the Department’s energy innovation programme is being considered by Ministers. The 2016-2021 programme, over £500m, announced as part of the last Spending Review was developed as a cross-Government initiative by the former Department of Energy and Climate Change. The Department is also collaborating internationally with other countries, including through ‘Mission Innovation’ – a global partnership of 21 members announced at COP21 in Paris, pledging to double support for clean energy innovation over the next five years and strengthening transparency and collaboration.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Callum McCaig on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will meet the organisations who wrote to the Prime Minister about the Feed-in Tariff and its effect on local investment in renewable energy on 21 August and 9 October; and when the Prime Minister will respond to both of those letters.

Andrea Leadsom

DECC officials and Ministers have had extensive meetings with stakeholders from across the renewables industry during the feed-in tariff review consultation, including many of the organisations signing the letters of 21 August and 9 October. I held a roundtable in Parliament on Wednesday 21 October, with a wide ranging group of stakeholders. It was a highly productive meeting.

DECC replied to the letter of 21 August, and will respond to the letter of 9 October in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Callum McCaig on 2015-10-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential economic benefit of carbon capture and storage being used as a means to increase oil and gas production from the UK Continental Shelf.

Andrea Leadsom

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has the potential to play an important role in enabling the UK to decarbonise its energy system. The Wood Review recognised that offshore storage of carbon dioxide could potentially benefit the UK continental shelf, and called for continued collaboration between industry, academia and DECC as the most appropriate means to realise the opportunity.

With the UK continental shelf now being one of the more mature offshore basins in the world, the Wood Review identified a range of key issues which the Government and industry must jointly address to deliver maximum economic recovery (MER) of UK petroleum, stressing the importance of a focused regulator. In accordance with the recommendations of the Wood Review, the Government is working to establish the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), as a body with the objective of delivering MER.

The Government has taken steps to set up the OGA quickly in accordance with the recommendations of the Wood Review, which continues to attract strong industry support. In addition to its role as licencing authority for offshore carbon dioxide storage, the OGA is developing the Sector Strategies called for by the Wood Review. In developing the Technology and Decommissioning Sector Strategies, the OGA is considering the potential for offshore storage of carbon dioxide to help achieve MER.

Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) techniques that utilise carbon dioxide may also have a role in increasing hydrocarbon recovery in future. In its Technology Sector Strategy, the OGA will consider the potential contribution that the various EOR technologies, including carbon dioxide EOR, could make towards MER.

The OGA’s key actions are already providing crucial support to the oil and gas industry. Without this, we risk premature decommissioning of the UK continental shelf, loss of stranded assets and loss of the key infrastructure and skills – including those which could ultimately promote the longevity of the industry through carbon dioxide storage projects. This underlines the importance of the OGA focusing upon maximising economic recovery and constructively engaging with the CCS industry.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Callum McCaig on 2015-10-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of mandatory regulation to stimulate volumes of installations of heat pumps.

Andrea Leadsom

DECC keeps under review all policies which might be needed to meet future carbon budgets in line with the requirements of the Climate Change Act, in its consideration of the advice from the Committee on Climate Change.

Reducing carbon emissions will require improved energy efficiency measures and changes to heating systems in buildings. The Government is committed to considering both together through a stable long-term framework which explores the potential role of regulation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Callum McCaig on 2015-10-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if her Department will take steps to investigate how the administrative governance of installation of renewable energy systems could be simplified.

Andrea Leadsom

The development of a renewable energy installation has, by its nature, a degree of complexity. This can cover topics as diverse as the securing of planning permission, the granting of electricity generation licences, access to grid and administration of renewable energy financial incentives. Responsibility for these resides with a number of different regulatory authorities each of which have already put in place detailed guidance for applicants.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Callum McCaig on 2015-10-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information her Department holds on the administrative costs to consumers and businesses of regulations which govern household renewable energy systems and energy efficiency.

Andrea Leadsom

Estimates of the administrative costs of major household renewable energy and energy efficiency schemes are typically published in impact assessments accompanying individual scheme regulations. Examples for two of the largest major domestic energy efficiency and renewable energy regulations can be found at:

• Energy efficiency: Energy Company Obligation (pp. 31-32):

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/373650/ECO_IA_with_SoS_e-sigf_v2.pdf. In scheme reporting on administrative costs is also available quarterly at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/green-deal-and-energy-company-obligation-eco-statistics

• Renewable energy: Feed in Tariffs (p. 43):

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/458662/IA_for_FITs_consultation_August_2015_-_FINAL_docx__e-signature_included__v2.pdf)

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Callum McCaig on 2015-10-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will make an assessment of the potential effect of the Carbon Capture and Storage on achieving maximum economic recovery of oil and gas in the North Sea.

Andrea Leadsom

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has the potential to play an important role in enabling the UK to decarbonise its energy system. The Wood Review recognised that offshore storage of carbon dioxide could potentially benefit the UK continental shelf, and called for continued collaboration between industry, academia and DECC as the most appropriate means to realise the opportunity.

With the UK continental shelf now being one of the more mature offshore basins in the world, the Wood Review identified a range of key issues which the Government and industry must jointly address to deliver maximum economic recovery (MER) of UK petroleum, stressing the importance of a focused regulator. In accordance with the recommendations of the Wood Review, the Government is working to establish the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), as a body with the objective of delivering MER.

The Government has taken steps to set up the OGA quickly in accordance with the recommendations of the Wood Review, which continues to attract strong industry support. In addition to its role as licencing authority for offshore carbon dioxide storage, the OGA is developing the Sector Strategies called for by the Wood Review. In developing the Technology and Decommissioning Sector Strategies, the OGA is considering the potential for offshore storage of carbon dioxide to help achieve MER.

Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) techniques that utilise carbon dioxide may also have a role in increasing hydrocarbon recovery in future. In its Technology Sector Strategy, the OGA will consider the potential contribution that the various EOR technologies, including carbon dioxide EOR, could make towards MER.

The OGA’s key actions are already providing crucial support to the oil and gas industry. Without this, we risk premature decommissioning of the UK continental shelf, loss of stranded assets and loss of the key infrastructure and skills – including those which could ultimately promote the longevity of the industry through carbon dioxide storage projects. This underlines the importance of the OGA focusing upon maximising economic recovery and constructively engaging with the CCS industry.