Speeches by Crichton.

“The problem is not in generating power. It is in producing it. It is in offshore jobs in the North sea.”

“Would it help competition in the industry if you did?”

“Why have you not uplifted your deployment targets for renewables?”

“Having accused you of being perhaps over-ambitious, can I turn to solar energy? Solar Energy UK has pressed for 60 GW of solar. The Secretary of State, when he was in front of us, said that that was a floor, but you have set targets of 45 GW to 47 GW. Why?”

“If we win this prize and get to 2030, where would that put us in the euros and the international league table of decarbonisation?”

“You said that it would require a fundamental shift from industry and Government, and from consumers as well, I expect. Have you made any kind of assessment of what that fast tracking will require or cost us in terms of having to speed things up and perhaps in terms of lost opportunity? That industrial strategy, that do…”

“Ben, Chris, thanks for coming in. Thanks for your stamina in answering all our questions. Chris, you were on the Climate Change Committee and recommended a net zero target of 2035. You said just now that that was an extremely stretching target. Now it is a 2030 target. You are among friends here. Do you honestly believ…”

“What do you think Government should be doing?”

“Adam, what does the industry think about such incentives?”

“Can I come in with a quick supplementary on that, Marcelle? Is there a case for derogations or giving priority connections to schemes that involve communities or are fronted by communities?”

“When will we see an appointment?”

“That was my final question, but I would like to ask a final, final substitute question on behalf of Josh MacAlister, who is not here. Do you agree that action needs to be taken to ensure appointments are made more swiftly to arms-length bodies related to nuclear, most notably Great British Nuclear?”

“It comes from the Secretary of State. He stressed that he sees nuclear power playing a very important part in the electricity mix. The think-tank E3G’s recent power report was very critical of nuclear. It suggests that there is vulnerability to delays and closures, and it is expensive. We wonder what your view is on th…”

“There is a “Columbo”-style last question.”

“Will it be the consumer?”

“Who should pay, the industry or the public?”

“All of that is very expensive. Who should be paying for that, the consumer or the investor?”

“Does that mean new-build gas stations that take carbon out or do you retrofit existing gas stations?”

“Hello again, guys. Can I ask a few questions about carbon capture and storage? We heard evidence in our earlier session from the Green Alliance that CSS would have a limited contribution to the 2030 targets. Will CSS make any meaningful contribution to 2030?”

“That inevitably has massive consequences for jobs in Scotland and the North sea.”