Written questions by Lewis.

Whether a representative of his Department will attend the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels, hosted by the Colombian and Dutch governments.

The Government is committed to driving the global transition away from fossil fuels and will be represented at senior level at the Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels. The Government is aware of the interest in ISDS, and in line with HMG’s Trade Strategy, the UK will continue to work with trading partners multilaterally, such as the OECD and the UN, to pursue opportunities to improve ISDS practice.

If his Department will adopt negotiating objectives for addressing international legal barriers, particularly those arising from investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), during the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels.

The Government is committed to driving the global transition away from fossil fuels and will be represented at senior level at the Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels. The Government is aware of the interest in ISDS, and in line with HMG’s Trade Strategy, the UK will continue to work with trading partners multilaterally, such as the OECD and the UN, to pursue opportunities to improve ISDS practice.

With reference to the press release entitled US-UK pact will boost advances in drug discovery, create tens of thousands of jobs and transform lives, published on 16 September 2025, which regulations he plans to (a) change and (b) repeal under the civil nuclear deal.

The civil nuclear deal referenced in the press release of 16 September 2025 forms part of a broader strategic partnership between the United Kingdom and the United States, aimed at accelerating innovation and infrastructure delivery across key sectors, including clean energy. The significant time savings referenced in the deal will be achieved by our regulators working in partnership with their US counterparts to align licensing processes and share technical analysis, without the need for any changes to regulation. It will enable British families to benefit from cleaner, more reliable energy and supporting the creation of high-quality jobs. In addition, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) & Ministry of Defence (MoD) has commissioned the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce to examine the regulatory framework governing civil nuclear development. The Taskforce is considering a range of options to streamline regulation, whilst maintaining the UK’s high standards of nuclear safety, security and environmental protection. The Taskforce’s final report has not yet been published. It would therefore be premature to confirm which specific regulations may be subject to change or repeal. Any proposals will be set out in full in the final report and in the government’s response.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policy on LNG imports to the UK of the report entitled Energy, Economic, and Environmental Assessment of U.S. LNG Exports, published in 2024 by the US Department of Energy.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) is aware of the report published in 2024 by the US Department of Energy. DESNZ monitors developments in the global Liquified Natural Gas market closely and considers a wide range of sources in doing so. The USA is, and will continue to be, an important supplier of LNG for the UK.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) the number of contracts for imports of US Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) and (b) LNG import infrastructure.

Liquified natural gas (LNG) is bought and sold on the global market by commercial organisations and, as such, the government does not play a role in securing or assessing contracts. The government works closely with the gas system operator and is confident that they have the tools they need to effectively balance supply and demand in a wide range of scenarios, as they have done in previous years. The government annually reviews the availability of gas for meeting the reasonable demands of consumers in Great Britain (GB), considering the short and long-term, through the Statutory Security of Supply Report. This includes an assessment of the adequacy of LNG import infrastructure, and notes that GB will continue to benefit from a diverse set of import routes and the second largest LNG import infrastructure capacity in Europe.

If he will publish the (a) start date, (b) end date, (c) annual gas volume, (d) contract value, (e) supplying country, (f) supplying company and (g) importing company of contracts for the import of gas to the UK.

This is not information the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero owns.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing local supply rights for community energy schemes to sell clean power locally.

The Department is considering a range of reforms to unlock renewable investment and pass through the benefits of cheaper renewables to consumers. This includes potential changes to support local and community energy. The Secretary of State previously commissioned Ofgem to explore policy and regulatory barriers to local supply, including route to market challenges. We are also learning from the responses to the Call for Evidence on barriers to community energy [1], which referenced local supply issues. The Department continues to work with Ofgem and key stakeholders to enhance our community energy offer. We will set out further detail in due course. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/barriers-to-community-energy-projects

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring carbon capture, usage and storage organisations in receipt of Government funding to be (a) headquartered in the UK and (b) full UK taxpayers.

We’re committed to securing the economic benefits for the UK from pioneering CCUS deployment. It is expected to add around £5 billion per year to the UK economy by 2050 and the backing of these first 2 CCUS sites sends a clear signal to investors that the UK is open for business. These new carbon capture and CCUS enabled hydrogen projects will create 4,000 new jobs and help sustain important British industries. Industry have also pledged to source 50 per cent of the supply chain from domestic companies.

What plans he has to monitor the (a) carbon emissions and (b) water usage of data centres.

(a) Emissions from data centres that occur in the UK - either directly at their locations or at power stations from their electricity use - are included in our published UK territorial greenhouse gas emissions totals, but cannot be attributed to specific data centres.Data centres that are part of a quoted company, large unquoted company or large limited liability partnership are required to report on their emissions in their annual reports to comply with Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) policy.(b) Water usage and its monitoring is overseen by the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs.

What recent public consultation his Department has undertaken on the efficacy of carbon capture, usage and storage technology.

CCUS will be vital to this government’s commitment to create good jobs in Britain’s industrial heartlands, ensuring a just transition for the industries based in the North Sea, and accelerating towards Net Zero.The Climate Change Committee (CCC), the UK’s independent advisor on climate change, has said that CCUS is a ‘necessity, not an option’ for the transition to net zero. The International Energy Agency and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change both conclude that carbon capture can play a key role in decarbonisation.The Government engages with a range of stakeholders during the policy development process.

With reference to the press notice entitled Government reignites industrial heartlands 10 days out from the International Investment Summit, published on 4 October 2024, if he will publish a list of climate scientists consulted with by his Department on the efficacy of carbon capture storage.

CCUS will be vital to this government’s commitment to create good jobs in Britain’s industrial heartlands, ensuring a just transition for the industries based in the North Sea, and accelerating towards Net Zero.The Climate Change Committee (CCC), the UK’s independent advisor on climate change, has said that CCUS is a ‘necessity, not an option’ for the transition to net zero. The International Energy Agency and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change both conclude that carbon capture can play a key role in decarbonisation.The Government engages with a range of stakeholders during the policy development process.

If his Department will publish the evidential basis informing the decision to fund carbon capture, usage and storage clusters announced on 4 October 2024.

The Department plans to release the Full Business Cases (FBCs) for the two clusters next year, in line with the requirements for programmes in the Government Major Projects Portfolio.

Whether he has had recent discussions with Ofgem on setting a timeline to bring heat network pricing in line with prices paid by other consumers.

Officials in my department have been working closely with Ofgem, ahead of the third and final, joint consultation on proposals for heat network regulation. This will include proposals on fair pricing. This consultation will be published in due course.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential risks of investing in carbon capture storage technology.

The Department has developed a risk management approach for monitoring the risks associated with investing in CCS technology. This approach follows government best practice and has been reviewed and approved by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority’s major projects gateway process. The Department has documented the material risks within the Full Business Cases for the two clusters. These FBCs have been reviewed and approved by the departmental investment committee and Major Projects Review Group, reflecting the fact that these bodies are satisfied that the programme’s approach to risk management is robust, and that the overall risk profile of the projects is consistent with the Department’s stated risk appetite.