Written questions by Garnier.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of hybrid heat pumps on (a) consumer energy bills and (b) UK greenhouse gas emissions.

The specific greenhouse gas emissions and running costs of a hybrid heat pump are impacted by a range of factors including the proportion of heating met by the heat pump. However, the Government noted in the recent ‘Raising product standards for space heating’ consultation that hybrids could reduce fossil fuel usage and reduce a consumer’s bills, depending on wider energy pricing and other factors. The Government will publish a response to this consultation in due course and will continue to gather and assess evidence and monitor market developments in relation to hybrid heat pumps.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of including hybrid heat pumps in the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme does not support hybrid heat pumps, as we want to direct the available funding towards the technologies that offer the greatest carbon savings, rather than those which would continue to involve the burning of fossil fuels for space heating and hot water. The Government is committed to incentivising all properties to transition to cleaner heating and will keep its position on alternative heating technologies under review. In the Raising Product Standards for Space Heating consultation, the Government set out that hybrids may be able to play a role in heat decarbonisation. The Government will publish a response in due course.

How many officials in his Department work full-time on COP summits.

The annual UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) is a crucial opportunity to tackle climate change internationally. As a top Government priority, officials across HMG are involved in making these summits as successful as they can be, from negotiations, logistics and Ministerial support to policy and stakeholder engagement. They typically do this as part of a broader role.

How many gifts were received by Ministers in his Department for travel to COP conferences in the last 12 months.

No gifts were received by Ministers for travel to COP conferences in the last 12 months.

How many purchases with a value of less than £500 were made by his Department using an electronic purchasing card solution in October 2024, what the value was of those purchases; and if he will take steps to publish this information for (a) November 2024 and (b) subsequent months.

This data is not published by the Department, in line with Section 8.2 Transparency in the Crown Commercial Services’ Procurement Cards Pan-Government Policy.

With reference to the data on Departmental spending over £500 with an electronic purchasing card solution, when he plans to publish this data for (a) October and (b) November 2024.

The Department intends to publish the October and November data on Departmental spending over £500 with an electronic purchasing card before the end of the financial year.

Whether he has had discussions with the National Energy System Operator on pylon presumption.

Details of Ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. The National Policy Statement for electricity networks (NPS EN-5) sets out that overhead lines should be the strong starting presumption for electricity networks developments in general, except in nationally designated landscapes where undergrounding is the starting presumption.

How many fax machines are in use by the National Energy System Operator; and whether his Department plans to provide funding to digitalise the energy grid.

The Government does not hold any information on the number of fax machines in use at the National Energy System Operator (NESO). Government, Ofgem and NESO are working to digitalise the energy system. In August the government published a response to the digital spine feasibility study, detailing how NESO and others are improving energy data sharing. Government funds digitalisation innovation, including the Automatic Asset Registration programme which aims to improve visibility of small-scale low carbon technologies. Ofgem approves funding for digitalisation through its decisions on price controls of licenced organisations, and delivers the Strategic Innovation Fund.

Whether he has made an estimate of the number of unfinanced energy projects in the queue to be connected to the power grid.

Data on financing of projects in the connections queue is not available. However, National Energy System Operator estimates that historically, 60-70% of transmission connection projects do not ultimately connect, including those that do not secure financing. NESO is currently consulting on proposals that would, if approved, ensure only viable projects are able to obtain and retain a connection agreement.

With reference to paragraph 3.71 of Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, published on 30 October 2024, how much funding will be available for fusion energy research in the 2025-26 financial year.

Confirmation of the amount of funding will be shared in due course.

What proportion of GB Energy staff will be based at its headquarters in Aberdeen.

GBE’s workforce planning is ongoing, and we are committed to ensuring we have the right skills, across the right locations, so that GBE can deliver maximum impact. A significant proportion of GBE’s staff will be employed in Aberdeen, including the permanent CEO and most of the senior executive team. The first recruitment campaigns have been launched, with three Director positions advertised in Aberdeen. Once appointed, The Board will regularly spend time in Aberdeen, including with communities and businesses.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of the use of deep boreholes as an alternative to the Geological Disposal Facility for nuclear waste.

Deep borehole technology is at a developmental stage of technical maturity and has not yet been implemented anywhere in the world. It is possible the technology could play a complementary role in managing some radioactive hazardous waste in the future. However, it would not be suitable for the entire UK radioactive waste inventory for which a geological disposal facility will always be required. Nuclear Waste Services, the developer of the geological disposal facility, continues to review radioactive waste management emerging technologies. It will publish its most recent review in the coming months.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential supply chain barriers to achieving net zero by 2030.

Through our Clean Energy Mission the Government will decarbonise the power system by 2030 and accelerate to net zero. Taking action to ensure that our clean energy supply chains are resilient is a priority, both in terms of delivery against our targets and maximizing associated growth benefits. We have a number of levers to support clean energy supply chains, including the new modern Industrial Strategy, the National Wealth Fund, and Great British Energy. In August, we commissioned the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to provide advice on achieving clean power by 2030. The advice will inform the Government’s 2030 Clean Power Action Plan, expected to be published by the end of the year.

What estimate he has made of the full system costs of (a) investments in renewable energy, (b) grid infrastructure upgrades, (c) energy storage solutions and (d) other costs associated with achieving a Net Zero power grid by 2030.

On 23 August, the Government commissioned the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to provide practical advice on achieving a clean power system by 2030. The Government expects to receive NESO’s advice in early November, which will inform the 2030 Clean Power Action Plan, due for publication by the end of the year. The Action Plan will contain details relating to the costs associated with achieving the Government’s Clean Power 2030 ambitions.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the National Energy System Operator’s reforms to the grid connections process on investment in the UK renewables sector.

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is responsible for preparing and submitting proposals for reform of the electricity network connections process to Ofgem, the independent energy regulator. NESO is engaging with stakeholders, including the renewables sector as it develops these proposals. When making its decision, Ofgem will undertake an Impact Assessment of proposals.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the National Energy System Operator’s proposals to prioritise energy projects that are ready and aligned with Clean Power 2030 on investor confidence in the UK renewables sector.

The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is responsible for preparing and submitting proposals for reform of the electricity network connections process to Ofgem, the independent energy regulator. NESO is engaging with stakeholders, including the renewables sector as it develops these proposals. When making its decision, Ofgem will undertake an Impact Assessment of proposals.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the risk of legal challenge associated with the National Energy System Operator’s proposals to prioritise energy projects in the queue that are both ready and aligned with Clean Power 2030.

The National Electricity System Operator is developing proposals for reform of electricity networks in consultation with stakeholders, before final proposals are submitted to Ofgem for decision. As part of its decision-making process, Ofgem will assess legal aspects of the proposals. The Department will support this analysis, where appropriate.

What steps he is taking to ensure that plans to achieve a net zero power grid by 2030 include the development of technologies such as nuclear power requiring (a) longer lead times and (b) significant investment.

The Government is committed to ensuring that new nuclear power stations, such as Sizewell C and small modular reactors (SMRs), play an important role in helping achieve energy security and clean power while securing thousands of good, skilled jobs. On 23 August, the Government commissioned the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to provide practical advice on achieving a clean power system by 2030. The Government received NESO’s advice on 5 November, which will inform the 2030 Clean Power Action Plan and included details on the role of nuclear power. The Government’s action plan is due for publication by the end of the year.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a national energy efficiency advice service.

The Government recognises that access to trusted and impartial information is an important enabler to consumers, when making choices about how to retrofit their homes. This is why the government delivers a number of digital services on GOV.UK to support consumers to take action. The government is going further to simplify the user journey for consumers, on GOV.UK, creating a single access point for all homeowners, landlords and tenants at varying points in their retrofit journey. It will bring together information, sources of funding and links to trusted installers, and simplify and expand the current government advice and information offer. We will seek to build on this model as we roll out our Warm Homes Plan.

What plans his Department has to simplify the process of installing heat pumps.

The Government is committed to simplifying the installation process at every stage of the customer journey and is investing up to £42m in the Heat Pump Ready programme to overcome barriers to heat pump deployment and support innovation in product design. The Government is also considering where regulatory improvements can be made, including supporting Ofgem’s end-to-end review of network connections, for which a consultation is expected in Autumn, and reviewing Permitted Development Rights (PDR). The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is analysing responses to the previous government’s consultation on PDR, and announcements will be made in due course.