Energy Bill – consideration of Commons amendments – Lord Callanan.
Lord Callanan: The Government is clear that, whilst we welcome investment in sectors including civil nuclear, this can never be at the expense of national security. As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 18th September, should any investor’s shareholding in the Sizewell C project reach the relevant statutory thresholds, the investor will be required to pass through the process set out in the...
Lord Callanan: National Grid Electricity System Operator’s (ESO) Power Responsive campaign is one of the principal stakeholder forums that promotes a more flexible approach to electricity consumption (known as demand side response), which can help to drive decarbonisation, bolster our energy security and create savings for consumers. The Government will continue to work with ESO, Ofgem and industry to...
Lord Callanan: The Government has brought together senior business and finance leaders on the Net Zero Council. The Council addresses the appetite from the business and finance communities to create a partnership with UK government to deliver net zero and capture the benefits of this transition in the UK. The Government has relaunched the UK Business Climate Hub, which provides free, detailed advice on how...
Lord Callanan: Heat networks can use a variety of low-carbon heat sources, for example large heat pumps, industrial waste heat and geothermal. No one solution will be appropriate for every DHS - a mix of technologies will support heat decarbonisation. Whilst the capital cost of many of these low-carbon sources is higher than gas combustion technologies there are a range of private financing options. The...
Lord Callanan: My Lords, the UK is leading the world on climate change. We are committed to net zero by 2050 and the agreements that we have made internationally. The Prime Minister will make a statement on this issue later this afternoon.
Lord Callanan: My Lords, there were a number of questions there. In essence, I think the noble Baroness is asking whether the Government are really committed to net zero. As I said in the original Answer, the answer is yes. More importantly, we have the track record to prove it. The UK has overachieved on all our carbon budgets to date; we have reduced emissions faster than any other major economy; we are...
Lord Callanan: Yet again, the noble Lord is wrong in his statements. As he well knows, we have the largest offshore wind industry in Europe and the second largest in the world. Other European countries are racing to catch up with our record. We have over- achieved in meeting our carbon budgets, and I remind the House that these are legally binding commitments. We are on track to overachieve on carbon...
Lord Callanan: The noble Baroness makes a number of statements before she has even heard what the Prime Minister has to say later; perhaps she might want to read what the Prime Minister actually announces and revise her statements in light of that.
Lord Callanan: As the noble Lord knows, net zero is a legal commitment imposed on us by Parliament; it is the duty of Ministers to meet that commitment, and we will do so. As I have said, we are currently overachieving on carbon budgets 4 and 5; carbon budget six does not start until 2033. I have sat down with policy officials, and we are confident that we are on track to meet that as well. We are...
Lord Callanan: It is always a pleasure to hear from the “noble Green lady”, even though she sounds increasingly red sometimes. I am very happy to talk about our record on home insulation. In 2010, under Labour, 14% of homes had an EPC rating of C or above. It is now almost 50%. Clearly, we need to go further, which is why we are investing £6.5 billion over this Parliament on home upgrade retrofit...
Lord Callanan: The right reverend Prelate asks a very good question on electric vehicles; let me give him the facts on that. The UK had among the highest battery electric vehicle sales in 2022. We are registering a new EV every 60 seconds. Full-battery EV sales are up 88% year on year. Most of the UK’s emissions cuts have of course come under this Government; we are very proud of our record on electric...
Lord Callanan: The answer to the noble Baroness’s first question is no. With regard to the OBR, I am not quite sure why the OBR has a role in this. We obviously have our Climate Change Committee which gives the Government advice, but, to be frank, lots of other external organisations send me more advice on this subject every day, so we are not short of helpful academic advice on all the topics under...
Lord Callanan: The noble Baroness has been resolute in her support for nuclear and does a fantastic job in advocating for it. I am very happy to give her the reassurance that she is looking for. Of course, again, the nuclear industry was left to decay under the last Labour Government. We have resumed it through building Hinkley Point, and we are about to take a final investment decision on Sizewell. I know...
Lord Callanan: We will not lose another 10 years on the path to net zero. I outlined our policies earlier. For the sake of repeating them again, we are still committed to net zero and to meeting the carbon budgets; we have an excellent record. We are committed to meeting the 2050 target. We will continue to advance on that path, but we will do so in a fair and proportionate manner that takes people with us...
Lord Callanan: The key phrase in the noble Baroness’s question was people choosing green alternatives. We want to help them to do that, and we want them to do it voluntarily. We want to make the choices attractive, which is why we provide incentives for insulation schemes. I refer once again to the Great British insulation scheme that I announced last week, which offers £1 billion over three years to...
Lord Callanan: The Department is leading the delivery of the target to decarbonise the electricity sector fully by 2035, subject to security of supply. A priority area of energy production for reducing emissions is North Sea oil and gas extraction. Through the North Sea Transition Deal, the sector committed to reducing emissions by 50% from 2018 to 2030, through measures including ending routine flaring...
Lord Callanan: The Government has relaunched the UK Business Climate Hub, which provides free, detailed advice on how SMEs can reduce their emissions and signposts funding opportunities. The Hub will soon be complemented by a new Energy Advice Service, providing SMEs with trusted advice on energy efficiency. Alongside local support schemes, businesses can access the Government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme,...
Lord Callanan: The Met Office is responsible for advising the Government of the likelihood and impact of Severe Space Weather, such as coronal mass ejections. An event like that of 12 March travelling towards Earth would have global impacts on key sectors including energy, telecommunications and transport. The Met Office Severe Space Weather Scales set out further information on the potential impacts.
