Every parliamentary written question tabled by Priti Patel this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–18 of 18 · Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
What his expected timetable is for when the Norwich to Tilbury Great Grid upgrade will be fully operational.
National Grid Electricity Transmission has now submitted its Development Consent Order application to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration. Government does not comment on the merits of live planning applications, which will be subject to rigorous, independent assessment and advice by the Examining Authority, to inform a final Ministerial decision.
With reference to his Department's consultation document entitled Scheme design for bill discounts for transmission network infrastructure published on 8 August 2025, on what date will communities affected by the construction of new transmission network infrastructure projects that are approved no longer be eligible to receive payments; and if he will make an estimate of the total cost of providing community benefits in relation to the Norwich to Tilbury Great Grid Upgrade proposals.
We propose eligible households will start receiving a discount once main construction has begun and will receive a maximum of £250 per year for up to 10 years. It is our intention that the bill discount scheme will run for a set period of time, with a post-implementation review to be conducted 5 years into the scheme to determine whether it is working as envisioned. The aggregate cost associated with providing community benefits, both via the bill discount scheme and community funds, will be detailed in the Impact Assessment accompanying secondary legislation. The government does not comment on individual projects.
Whether (a) value for money assessments of and (b) comparative value for money assessments of alternative projects proposed through the Development Consent Order process will be material planning considerations when determining applications covered by the proposed National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy Infrastructure.
Draft updated National Policy Statements were published for consultation and laid before Parliament earlier this year. There are no proposed changes in regard to value for money assessments. Development proposals enter the planning system at different times (at the discretion of developers), and require decisions on development consent orders to be made within statutory timeframes accordingly. The planning system does not compare projects; each decision is based on the merits of each proposal.
Whether (a) value for money assessments and (b) comparative value for money assessments for alternative proposals will be material planning considerations when determining applications covered by the proposed National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy Infrastructure.
Draft updated National Policy Statements were published for consultation and laid before Parliament earlier this year. There are no proposed changes in regard to value for money assessments. Development proposals enter the planning system at different times (at the discretion of developers), and require decisions on development consent orders to be made within statutory timeframes accordingly. The planning system does not compare projects; each decision is based on the merits of each proposal.
What estimate he has made of the potential contribution of the Norwich to Tilbury Great Grid upgrade to his target for low carbon generation of electricity by 2030; and when he expects this infrastructure will be operational.
National Grid have now submitted their Development Consent Order application to the Planning Inspectorate for consideration. The Government does not comment on the merits of live planning applications, which, subject to the Planning Inspectorate’s decision to accept the application for examination, will be subject to rigorous, independent assessment and advice by the Examining Authority – to inform the Secretary of State’s final decision. The project currently has an earliest in-service date 2031, and NESO’s independent advice on 2030 Clean Power demonstrates that failing to bring this forward to 2030 will reduce clean power on the GB grid by 1% and could increase constraint costs by £2.8bn p.a.
Whether he made representations to the Chinese Government on (a) the bounties placed by the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities on Hong Kongers living in the UK (b) concerns over human rights, (c) the effect of Hong Kong’s National Security Law and (d) the detention of Jimmy Lai during his recent visit to China.
This Government continues to stand firm on the issue of human rights in China, including relating to Hong Kong and Jimmy Lai. The recent visit by the Secretary of State gave the opportunity to discuss issues that matter to the UK with senior levels of the Chinese government, including areas where we disagree.
With reference to his Department's press release entitled Households near new pylons to save hundreds on energy bills, published on 10 March 2025, when those measures will (a) be implemented and (b) come into effect; whether the Norwich to Tilbury Great Grid Upgrade will be in scope; how many (i) households and (ii) landowners would receive financial support along the route of the Norwich to Tilbury Great Grid Upgrade proposals; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the Norwich to Tilbury Great Grid Update of implementing those reforms.
The bill discount scheme will apply to eligible domestic residents and is planned to go live from 2026 once regulations have been laid, when Parliamentary time allows. Eligibility will be set out in regulations, but our aim is that major new transmission projects needed for 2030 will be eligible. Further impact analysis will be conducted prior to scheme introduction. The proposed funding mechanism is by an obligation on electricity suppliers, so it would not directly impact the cost of an infrastructure project. The Government has also published community funds guidance, which could apply to transmission projects yet to start construction. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-transmission-infrastructure-proposed-bill-discount-schemehttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-transmission-network-infrastructure-community-funds
With reference to Plan for Change: Milestones for mission-led government, published on 5 December 2024, CP 1210, what energy infrastructure projects are under consideration; and whether the Norwich to Tilbury Great Grid Upgrade project is included.
The Planning Inspectorate website states that the Norwich to Tilbury project is at the pre-application stage, and that the application is expected to be submitted for examination between June and August 2025. Information can be found here https://national-infrastructure-consenting.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/EN020027. The Examining Authority’s Report should therefore come to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero for decision in 2026. This project is therefore one of the Development Consent Order (DCO) decisions that would count towards the Prime Minister’s target of taking 150 DCO decisions in this Parliament.
How much energy is (a) generated by each offshore wind farm (i) off the coast of the East of England and (ii) across the UK and (b) forecast to be generated by each (A) consented offshore wind farm scheme not yet operational, (B) proposed offshore wind farm scheme under consideration and (C) location identified for future offshore wind farm schemes.
The Department publishes total and regional breakdowns of UK electricity generation by renewable technology here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/regional-renewable-statistics. Breakdowns of generation for each offshore wind farm cannot be provided as this is commercially sensitive information.The Department does not publish generation forecasts for future projects - these will depend on specific factors such as precise site design and turbine size (among others) which may not yet be publicly known. Some individual developers will publish estimated output on their project websites.
What estimate he has made of the potential cost of including a package of community benefits in the proposal for the Norwich to Tilbury Great Grid Upgrade.
As details of the guidance on community benefits are still under development, we are not in a position to estimate the costs of providing such benefits to communities affected by the Norwich to Tilbury grid upgrade. We will provide an update at the appropriate time.
What assessment he has made of the impact of new onshore energy infrastructure on local communities.
Full account is taken of potential local community impacts when determining an energy infrastructure application. The Planning Act 2008 requires developers to engage with the local authority (or authorities) and consult the local community on a proposed development before submitting an application. Developers must take into account local community views when developing their proposals. It is the government’s priority to build support for developments by ensuring communities directly benefit.
If he will have discussions with National Grid on the potential impact of the proposed Norwich to Tilbury project under the great grid upgrade on local communities in the East of England.
It is the responsibility of the developers of electricity network projects – in this case National Grid Electricity Transmission - to propose a route and obtain planning permission for that route. The government sets the rules for a robust and independent planning process that communities can participate in, with consultation being a central element of the planning process. Any engagement by Ministers must consider the role of the Secretary of State in deciding on planning applications for energy projects, and the limitations on discussing live projects in the development process which have not come to the Planning Inspectorate.
What estimate he has made of the number of (a) homes and (b) commercial premises that have oil heating (i) in Witham constituency, (ii) in Essex and (iii) nationally.
The Office for National Statistics publish 2021 Census estimates of occupied household spaces in England and Wales by central heating type, at lower tier local authority level: https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS046/editions/2021/versions/4 The evidence base for non-domestic buildings is being developed by this Department through the Non-Domestic Building Stock project. Analysis of a survey of large off-gas grid buildings shows national-level estimates of energy source in Tables 26 and 27: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65c3bc2c28a4a00012d2ba61/non-domestic-building-stock-large-off-gas-grid-premises.pdf The Department also publishes non-domestic building statistics in England and Wales. Tables 3A and 10 include data on the number of off-gas grid buildings, broken down to lower authority and constituency level: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65d605b52197b200117fa7ad/nd-need-2023-geographical-annex-data-tables.xlsx
Whether he has a planned timetable for the (a) development and (b) publication of Strategic Spatial Energy Plans.
We are committed to a more strategic approach to energy planning and will shortly commission NESO to produce the first Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP). The commission is the first step in the process, setting out our expectations for how the SSEP will be produced and governed. It will also include details on timelines for development, consultations and publication. The SSEP will build upon independent advice provided by NESO on the pathway to delivering clean power by 2030 commissioned in August 2024.
If he will make an estimate of the cost to (a) the public purse and (b) energy bill payers of providing a scheme of community benefits to communities affected by the Norwich to Tilbury great grid upgrade.
We are committed to ensuring that communities who live near new clean energy infrastructure can see the benefits of this and are currently considering how to most effectively deliver this. This includes developing guidance on community benefits for electricity transmission network infrastructure, which we will publish in due course. Whilst details of the guidance are still under development we are not able to estimate the costs of providing community benefits to communities affected by the Norwich to Tilbury grid upgrade. We will provide an update at the appropriate time.
Whether he plans to consult on regulations relating to the introduction of a renewable liquid heating fuel obligation.
Renewable liquid fuels could play a limited role in heating. As sustainable biomass is a limited resource, the Government expect to prioritise its use in sectors like aviation, and potentially homes that are not readily suitable for heat pumps, as these offer the greatest opportunity to reduce emissions and have fewest alternative options to decarbonise. The price of renewable liquid heating fuels is higher than fuels that are currently used off the gas grid. The Government would need to ensure they are affordable before making any decisions on whether to support wider deployment, including the introduction of any obligations.
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of new (a) regulations or (b) legislation for oil heated (i) domestic and (ii) commercial premises.
The Government will make use of all available data to inform any future decisions on decarbonising heat in domestic and commercial properties off the gas grid.
If he will meet local community representatives in the East of England to discuss the potential impact of the proposed Norwich to Tilbury project under the great grid upgrade on those communities.
It is the responsibility of the developers of electricity network projects – in this case National Grid Electricity Transmission - to propose a route and obtain planning permission for that route. The government sets the rules for a robust and independent planning process that communities can participate in, with consultation being a central element of the planning process. Any engagement by Ministers must consider the role of the Secretary of State in deciding on planning applications for energy projects, and the limitations on discussing live projects in the development process which have not come to the Planning Inspectorate.