Clean Electricity Generation

Abtisam Mohamed, the Labour MP for Sheffield Central, asked the Minister what steps the Department is taking to increase clean electricity generation. The Minister, Michael Shanks, responded that the latest contracts for difference round had secured a record 131 renewable electricity projects across Great Britain, delivering a total capacity of 9.6 GW, enough to power the equivalent of 11 million homes. He stated that the Energy Secretary will continue to work with industry to explore how the contracts for difference scheme and other energy policies can be expanded even further. Abtisam Mohamed commended the Secretary of State for his work in accelerating clean electricity generation and asked what steps the Minister has taken to encourage and take advantage of the significant opportunity around community energy. The Minister acknowledged the importance of community energy in delivering energy security and lower bills, and stated that one of Great British Energy's five objectives is to support the delivery of a local power plan. He agreed to meet with the MP and representatives from her constituency to discuss this further. Greg Smith, the Conservative MP for Mid Buckinghamshire, criticised the Government's apparent lack of focus on nuclear energy, stating that the previous Government had overseen a revival in nuclear energy. The Minister responded by arguing that the previous Government had made many announcements but delivered little, and that in 14 years, no new nuclear power stations were built. Melanie Onn, the Labour MP for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes, welcomed the recent announcement on the development of carbon capture, usage and storage, and asked the Minister when he anticipates being able to announce progress on track 1 extension and share information on track 2, as this would secure thousands of jobs in the Humber region. The Minister stated that the Government is working through the next stages of the process at pace and will have further announcements in the weeks ahead. Graham Stuart, the Conservative MP for Beverley and Holderness, suggested that it would be better to have the right electricity system in 2032 or 2035 than the wrong one due to an artificial target that may be undeliverable by 2030. The Minister agreed with the MP's previous comments on the previous Government's approach to onshore wind, and stated that the current Government is now delivering an energy system fit for the future. Andrew Bowie, the Conservative MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, asked if the target to reach 24 GW of nuclear power by 2050 remains. The Minister responded by criticising the previous Government's approach, stating that they made a series of announcements with no funding to back them up, and that it is now more difficult to build critical infrastructure than it was when they came into power.