Every parliamentary written question tabled by James McMurdock this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 21–40 of 176 · Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
With reference to his Department’s press release entitled Decisive action to break influence of gas on electricity prices, published on 21 April 2026, what estimate he has made of the average annual saving per household from that policy.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
With reference to his Department’s press release entitled Decisive action to break influence of gas on electricity prices, published on 21 April 2026, what proportion of UK electricity generation will be covered by fixed-price arrangements following implementation of the proposed measures.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
With reference to her Department’s press release entitled Decisive action to break influence of gas on electricity prices, published on 21 April 2026, what estimate she has made of the additional revenue raised through changes to the Electricity Generator Levy.
Revenues raised by the rate increase, that takes effect from 1 July 2026, will depend on gas prices in future months. The OBR will score this in the usual way in the Autumn.
With reference to his Department’s press release entitled Decisive action to break influence of gas on electricity prices, published on 21 April 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed measures on household electricity bills.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
With reference to his Department’s press release entitled Decisive action to break influence of gas on electricity prices, published on 21 April 2026, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increasing the Electricity Generator Levy on investment in renewable energy generation.
The Government wants sustainable investment in renewable energy generation and therefore the Electricity Generator Levy (EGL) has strong protections for new investments, which are exempt from the levy. The government is accelerating the transition to cleaner energy through the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme. Renewable energy generation using the CfD scheme is exempt from the EGL.
What estimate he has made of the total system costs of maintaining grid stability over the last five years for which data is available.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Pursuant to Answer of 17 April 2026 to Question 124401, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the tools available to system operators to manage periods of low renewable generation combined with high demand.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Pursuant to Answer of 17 April 2026 to Question 124401, what metrics his Department uses to define high levels of resilience in Britain’s electricity system.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
What assessment he has made of the capacity factors of a) wind and b) solar electricity generation in the UK.
The capacity or load factors of wind and solar electricity generation in the UK depend on several factors, including site location and technology choices. The department publishes estimates of capacity factors for generic installations of solar PV, onshore wind, and offshore wind electricity generation in the UK as part of its Generation Costs publications. The relevant publications can be found here: Annex A (Generation Costs Report): annex-a-additional-estimates-and-key-assumptions-2025.xlsx (view the ‘Technical and Cost Assumptions’ section for load factors).Generation Costs Report: Electricity Generation Costs 2025
What proportion of UK electricity demand was met by a) wind and b) solar generation during periods of low wind and low sunlight in the last 12 months.
The Department does not hold this data. Half-hourly demand figures and estimated wind and solar generation for Great Britain, are published by NESO. Weather data is available from the Met Office.
What estimate he has made of the amount of backup generation capacity required to support a) wind and b) solar electricity generation.
The Capacity Market is government’s main tool for ensuring continued security of electricity supply in Great Britain. It is technology neutral and provides incentives for all forms of capacity, including generation, storage, consumer-led flexibility and interconnection to be on the system to deliver when needed. The volume of capacity procured through the Capacity Market is set based on advice from National Energy System Operator (NESO) in their annual Electricity Capacity Report. Through the Capacity Market we have secured a total of 57.4 GW for the coming winter, meaning we can have confidence that we will have sufficient capacity available to deliver electricity when needed.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of domestic oil and gas production policy on the UK fertiliser manufacturing sector.
The Government recognises the importance of oil and gas for a wide range of industrial and manufacturing purposes, including in the production of agricultural inputs such as fertilisers. Oil and gas will continue to play an important role in the UK’s energy mix for decades to come. The Government’s North Sea Future Plan sets out our approach to managing existing oil and gas fields for their full lifespan, while not issuing new licences to explore new fields, supporting a fair, orderly and prosperous transition. There isn’t a single standalone assessment specific to any individual manufacturing sectors.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of declining domestic oil and gas production on UK manufacturing sectors.
The Government recognises the importance of oil and gas for a wide range of industrial and manufacturing purposes, including in the production of agricultural inputs such as fertilisers. Oil and gas will continue to play an important role in the UK’s energy mix for decades to come. The Government’s North Sea Future Plan sets out our approach to managing existing oil and gas fields for their full lifespan, while not issuing new licences to explore new fields, supporting a fair, orderly and prosperous transition. There isn’t a single standalone assessment specific to any individual manufacturing sectors.
What discussions he has had with the a) pharmaceutical, b) chemical and b) agricultural sectors on future availability of oil and gas derived feedstocks.
Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Oil and gas will continue to play an important role in the UK’s energy mix for decades to come. The Government’s North Sea Future Plan sets out our approach to managing existing oil and gas fields for their full lifespan, while not issuing new licences to explore new fields, supporting a fair, orderly and prosperous transition.
What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the feed-in-tariff export payments in the context of the contribution of small-scale renewable generators to demand on the national grid.
The Feed-in Tariffs (FIT) scheme closed to new applicants in 2019, with existing tariffs maintained and only adjusted for inflation annually. The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), introduced in January 2020, replaced the FIT export payment with a market-led mechanism requiring suppliers to offer tariffs for exported electricity. It supports the transition to smart and flexible energy systems and is designed to enable deployment without subsidies. The average bundled SEG tariff is 15.49p/kWh and with around 50 tariffs available on the market, the SEG provides consumer choice in a competitive market.
What assessment he has made of the impact of intermittent renewable energy generation on grid stability.
The Government is confident that Great Britain’s electricity system continues to maintain high levels of resilience and strong security of supply. System operators have the tools they need to effectively manage the system in a wide range of scenarios as renewable generation increases. This includes ensuring sufficient negative and positive reserves on the system to manage changes in generation or demand.
What assessment he has made of the role grid-scale energy storage will play in maintaining electricity supply when renewable generation is low.
Grid-scale storage helps to balance the electricity system at lower cost, maximise the output from intermittent low carbon generation, and provide electricity security. The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan sets out ambitions for 23-27 GW of grid-scale batteries and 4-6GW of long duration electricity storage (LDES) by 2030. Batteries enable us to manage intraday variability, and LDES technologies enable us to cover multi‑hour to multi‑day energy deficits.
What assessment he has made of the adequacy of current grid reserve capacity as renewable generation increases.
The Government is confident that Great Britain’s electricity system continues to maintain high levels of resilience and strong security of supply. System operators have the tools they need to effectively manage the system in a wide range of scenarios as renewable generation increases. This includes ensuring sufficient negative and positive reserves on the system to manage changes in generation or demand.
With reference to his Department’s press release entitled New radar systems to unlock offshore wind, published on 20th March 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of radar-related constraints on previous offshore wind project delays.
As part of a mission led Government, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Ministry of Defence and have worked together to assess the impact of offshore wind on the UK’s radar systems and the potential for delays to offshore wind deployment. This collaborative effort informed the procurement of the new specially designed air defence radar systems, which will facilitate the co-existence of up to 10 GW of offshore wind capacity, enabling the Government to deliver its clean power mission whilst protecting national security.
With reference to his Department’s press release entitled New radar systems to unlock offshore wind, published on 20th March 2026, what discussions his Department has had with the Ministry of Defence in previous years regarding the impact of offshore wind on radar systems.
As part of a mission led Government, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Ministry of Defence and have worked together to assess the impact of offshore wind on the UK’s radar systems and the potential for delays to offshore wind deployment. This collaborative effort informed the procurement of the new specially designed air defence radar systems, which will facilitate the co-existence of up to 10 GW of offshore wind capacity, enabling the Government to deliver its clean power mission whilst protecting national security.