Shale Gas
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the extent of unexploited shale gas supplies in the UK and their potential effect on gas prices. [111586]
Charles Hendry: A British Geological Survey study in 2010 estimated that if UK shales were similar to those in the USA they could yield some 150 billion cubic metres of gas, equivalent to roughly two years of UK demand. The BGS is currently undertaking a more detailed analysis, taking account of the latest information, of the extent of prospectively gas-bearing shales in the UK and the potential resources, that is, the amount of gas which might be contained in these rocks.
However, as little drilling or testing has taken place, it is not at this stage possible to make any meaningful assessment of how much of the shale gas resource would be recoverable and how it might potentially affect gas prices.
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Nuclear Power
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what invitations to tender he has announced for (a) banks, (b) accountancy firms and (c) consultancies to assist his Department in negotiation of nuclear generation contracts with EDF Energy; and what plans he has to make these negotiations transparent. [111553]
Charles Hendry: An invitation to tender for the provision of financial and accountancy advice was issued on 25 May 2012. This tender was conducted through a Government Procurement Service framework (‘Multi-Disciplinary Consultancy') that includes a mixture of accountancy firms and consultancies. An invitation to tender to undertake engineering cost verification work was issued on 21 May 2012. This tender was through the Ministry of Defence's Framework Agreement for Technical Support that includes engineering consultancies. No selection has yet been made under these tenders. No invitation to tender has yet been issued to banks.
There will be full transparency over the terms agreed following the negotiation of nuclear generation contracts.
Nuclear Power: Emergencies
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information he has received from the Chief Nuclear Inspector on progress made in the implementation of strengthening arrangements in nuclear emergency planning identified by the Office for Nuclear Regulation following the review of nuclear emergencies by the Nuclear Emergency Planning Liaison Group in 2011. [111554]
Charles Hendry: Following the publication of Dr Mike Weightman's final report; the “Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami: Implications for the UK Nuclear Industry” (October 2011), the Government responded to a number of recommendations, including arrangements for nuclear emergency planning (December 2011). This response is available publicly at:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/meeting-energy-demand/nuclear/3718-gov-response-weightman-final.pdf
In his report Dr Weightman invited Government to report back on the recommendations by June 2012. Government will be providing an update to its December response shortly, ahead of Dr Weightman's ‘one year on' progress report, due to be published in autumn 2012. This will include information on the progress made in the implementation of strengthening arrangements in nuclear emergency planning.
Offshore Industry
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the UK's oil and gas industry of Scottish independence. [112136]
Charles Hendry: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has made no specific assessment of the effect of Scottish independence on the United Kingdom's oil and gas industry.
The UK Government's position is clear: Scotland is stronger as part of the UK and the UK is stronger with Scotland in it.
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The Government will be arguing the case for Scotland to remain within the UK and the Department of Energy and Climate Change will contribute to the debate.
The Government is not making plans for independence as we are confident that people in Scotland will continue to support the United Kingdom in any referendum.
Ofgem: Fines
Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what fines were imposed on businesses by the regulator Ofgem in each financial year from 2000-01 to 2011-12. [112049]
Charles Hendry: The information requested is a matter for Ofgem. I have asked the chief executive of Ofgem to write to the hon. Member and we will place a copy of his letter in the Libraries of the House.
Procurement
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the total (a) number and (b) value of contracts issued by (i) his Department and (ii) bodies for which he is responsible which were awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises was in the latest period for which figures are available. [111189]
Gregory Barker: Department of Energy and Climate Change’s spend with small and medium-sized entities has been reported in the Cabinet Office report, “Making Government business more accessible to SMEs—One Year On”, available at:
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/making-government-business-more-accessible-smes-one-year
Renewable Energy
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether regional renewable energy targets have been maintained. [111666]
Robert Neill: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Regional strategies and their renewable energy targets remain in existence, although the Government's policy intention is to revoke them. We intend to do so subject to the outcome of the environmental assessments on the proposed revocations which are in train.
The proposed revocation of the regional strategy may be regarded as a material consideration by decision makers when determining individual planning applications and appeals.
Renewable Energy: Subsidies
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what timetable he has set for the reduction of subsidies for renewable generation. [111780]
Gregory Barker: Renewable generation is currently supported through the Renewables Obligation (RO). RO bands are currently being reviewed and we expect to announce the outcomes shortly.
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Renewables Obligation
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to ensure that only bioliquids used for electricity generation which are derived from waste or residues receive support under the renewables obligation. [112063]
Gregory Barker: Member states cannot impose additional sustainability criteria on bioliquids over and above those set out in the EU's renewable energy directive, when determining eligibility for financial support. This means that we cannot, on sustainability grounds, remove support under the renewables obligation for electricity generated from bioliquids that meet the sustainability criteria and only support bioliquids derived from wastes and residues.
Warm Front Scheme
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households have participated in the Warm Front scheme in (a) England and (b) Bolton North East constituency in each of the last five years. [112165]
Gregory Barker: The numbers of households assisted in (a) England and (b) Bolton North East constituency in each of the last five years are as follows:
| Assisted Households | ||
| Bolton North East | England | |
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much of the Warm Front budget is yet to be claimed. [112167]
Gregory Barker: Warm Front remains open to new applications with a budget of £100 million in 2012-13 to provide insulation and heating measures for qualifying households—helping some of the most vulnerable households to have a warmer, healthier and more energy efficient home.
No decision has been made on when the scheme will close to new applications.
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department is spending on promotion of the Warm Front scheme; and by what means the scheme will be promoted. [112168]
Gregory Barker: Marketing of Warm Front ceased in 2010-11 because the scheme was heavily oversubscribed. It was anticipated that demand would, as with previous years, exceed supply.
The Government is committed to doing all it can to drive up demand for the scheme and continues to work closely with local authorities, charities and the energy companies to encourage pensioners and those on low incomes apply for the help to which they are entitled.
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In response to the lower than anticipated level of demand for the scheme, the Government launched the Winter Warmth Appeal in early 2012, working with a number of local authorities with high levels of fuel poverty in their area to raise awareness of the Warm Front scheme(1). Part of this campaign included 675,000 letters being sent to homes in areas with high levels of fuel poverty including Birmingham, Leeds, Bradford, County Durham and Sheffield to alert them about the Warm Front scheme. The Government also worked with the Citizens Advice Bureau, Consumer Focus, National Energy Action and energy companies to promote the scheme through their advice services.
(1)http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/pn2012_005/pn2012_005.aspx
Warm Home Discount Scheme
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people were on social tariffs in each of the years from 2007-08 to 2011-12; and how many people received assistance under the Warm Home Discount Scheme in 2011-12. [111007]
Gregory Barker: Information on the number of households assisted by energy suppliers with social and discounted tariffs is available in the reports published by Ofgem on suppliers' social spending. These reports are available via the following link.
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/SocAction/Suppliers/CSR/Pages/CSR.aspx
The definition of a social tariff changed during 2007-08 and 2010-11. Therefore the following figures reference the number of households assisted with both social and discounted tariffs, in line with Ofgem's method of reporting. The information published by Ofgem shows that in 2007-08 around 800,000 customer accounts were benefiting from social and discounted tariffs and from 2008-09 to 2010-11 around 1 million customer accounts benefited each year from social and discounted tariffs.
Under the new Warm Home Discount scheme which began in 2011-12 energy suppliers are required to report on their spending under the Warm Home Discount scheme to Ofgem at the end each scheme year. Once this information has been verified and audited, Ofgem will produce a report which will detail the number of customers assisted with social and discounted tariffs under the legacy spending element of the Warm Home Discount scheme.
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people who were on social tariffs in 2010-11 did not receive support under the Warm Home Discount Scheme in 2011-12. [111008]
Gregory Barker: Energy suppliers are required to report on their spending under the Warm Home Discount scheme to Ofgem at the end each scheme year. Once this information has been verified and audited, Ofgem will produce a report which will detail the number of customers assisted with social and discounted tariffs under the legacy spending element of the Warm Home Discount scheme.
The structure of the Warm Home Discount scheme in 2011-12 allowed energy suppliers to continue to provide the same type of support to consumers at a
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similar level of spending to that in 2010-11, the final year of the previous voluntary scheme. Where energy suppliers have chosen to spend less in 2011-12 on legacy forms of support, including social and discounted tariffs, they are required to increase their spending on providing rebates to the Broader Group at a level set by Government. In 2011-12 this was £120.
Wind Power
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on the contribution onshore wind should make to the mix of renewable energy. [111661]
Charles Hendry: The Government are committed to an appropriate level of onshore wind deployment as one part of a balanced energy mix to maintain our energy security, to help decarbonise our electricity supply and to keep consumer bills at a minimum. This is set out in the Renewable Energy Roadmap published last summer, which includes a projected central scenario of up to 13GW total installed capacity of onshore wind by 2020.
We consider this ambition is manageable. 5GW is already up and running, nearly 6GW has received planning consent and there is a further 7GW in the planning system. Not everything consented will be built, and not everything in the planning system deserves to be consented, so there will be new project proposals to come, but the investment the country needs in this technology is already largely on the table.
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the acoustics consultants used by his Department advise wind farm developers. [111668]
Charles Hendry: We are aware that some organisations used recently by DECC to provide onshore wind acoustic advice have carried out noise assessment work for a range of clients, including both wind farm developers and local government planning departments.
DECC arranges peer review of acoustic advice by a range of internal and external experts, including a formal assessment currently being undertaken by the Institute of Acoustics.
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consideration he has given to the suggestion that wind turbine noise guidelines should be the responsibility of a different Government department. [111669]
Charles Hendry: Officials across Government work closely together on wind turbine noise issues. For example, officials from DEFRA, DCLG, the Department of Health and the devolved Administrations are represented on the Government Group which provides advice on the development by the Institute of Acoustics of good practice guidance on ETSU-R—97. There is no case for machinery of government changes on this issue.
Chris Heaton-Harris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department monitors wind farm noise complaints made after construction; and what plans it has to test
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observed sound at receptors against the modelled values established in the developer's environmental impact assessments. [111674]
Charles Hendry: DECC does not routinely monitor wind farm noise complaints. Reported noise complaints are investigated by local authorities who have a duty to manage neighbourhood noise and nuisance under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Compliance with conditions relating to wind turbine noise form part of the deemed planning permission, and are enforced by the local planning authority (LPA). Some LPAs have set planning conditions which require operational noise levels to be measured after the commissioning of a project to determine whether the wind farm is operating in accordance with its permitted noise levels.
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on (a) payments to landowners for allowing wind farms on their land and (b) subsidies to wind farm developers in 2011. [111681]
Charles Hendry: The support for wind turbines in 2010-11 was £660 million (£400 million for onshore wind and £260 million for offshore wind). This support came from the Renewables Obligation scheme for electricity generation, rather than direct payments to landowners or developers, which are commercial matters for wind farm developers.
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the effect of wind turbines on jobs in the tourism industry. [111683]
Charles Hendry: I am aware of concerns about the impact of wind turbines on the tourist industry, but overall there is no compelling evidence to date of actual negative effects on tourism. Recent research by Visit Scotland(1) has confirmed earlier research which showed that the presence of a wind farm would not affect the decisions of the vast majority of tourists about where to visit or where to stay. I am aware that Whitelee windfarm visitors centre is a tourist attraction drawing thousands of visitors.
Windfarms can have positive impacts on jobs in the tourism industry. Wind farm projects can provide funding either directly or through community benefit funds to create or improve tourist attractions and related infrastructure. They can also have an impact on business tourism where those working on planning, construction and operation and maintenance of the wind farm make use of local accommodation and restaurant facilities. A recent report for DECC and RenewableUK by BiGGAR Economics(2) suggested that in 2011 the increase in the turnover of businesses local to onshore wind farm developments alone, where workers spend money due to being on-site and working away from home, is estimated to be around £11 million. This could support around 300 jobs in the tourism accommodation sector.
(1) VisitScotland: Windfarm Consumer Research April 2012 found that 80% of survey respondents said that the presence of a windfarm would not affect their decision about where to stay or visit. A report by Glasgow Caledonian university/or the Scottish Government produced in 2008 showed the vast majority (93% to
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99%) of tourists that had seen a windfarm in the local area suggested that the experience would not have any effect on their decision to return to that area, or to Scotland as a whole, see:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2008/03/12133622
(2) Onshore Wind: direct and Wider Economic Impacts (May 2012):
http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/meeting-energy-demand/wind/5229-onshore-wind-direct--wider-economic-impacts.pdf
The findings of the report are based on 18 case studies of experience on the ground, and set out the gross impacts of commercial onshore wind development.
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the standard community fund offered by wind farm developers to compensate communities affected by wind farm developments; [111684]
(2) what incentives there are to encourage households to accept construction of large industrial wind turbines close to their homes. [111778]
Charles Hendry: We support the introduction in 2011 by RenewableUK, the main wind trade body, of a Community Benefit Protocol. The Protocol specifies a benefit package worth a minimum of £1,000 per megawatt in England, per year of installed wind power during the lifetime of the wind farm (typically 25 years).
The decision on how the funds will be allocated will rest with the community living in the vicinity of the wind farm. Funding to date has supported a range of projects aimed at improving local amenities and infrastructure. In other examples, developers have helped fund renewable energy apprentice schemes or redevelop local habitats.
The Government is keen to give local communities more of a stake in windfarms, over and above the energy benefits these windfarms bring nationally. We are introducing legislation in this session to enable local authorities in England to retain business rates for the life of the windfarm. There are also programmes to support the development of community-owned windfarms. for example the £15 million Rural Community Renewable Energy Fund announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in autumn 2011. This is due to launch in spring 2013 and will be administered by DECC and DEFRA.
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the practice of wind farm developers visiting primary schools in areas where developments are proposed. [111784]
Charles Hendry: None. The Government believes that the planning process should include real and meaningful engagement and collaboration between developers and communities, local organisations and businesses. This ensures that local views can be considered as early as possible in the planning process and the potential for establishing local and wider benefits identified.
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) if he will establish a review of the ETSU97 noise guidelines to be carried out by an independent panel of experts; [111785]
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(2) what recent assessment he has made of the reliability of wind farm noise assessments; [111786]
(3) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of noise guidelines in respect of wind farm developments. [111789]
Charles Hendry: Government continues to support the use of the approach set out in ETSU-R-97 for wind farm noise assessments.
In June 2011, DECC published an independent report(1) on matters arising from the consideration of noise impacts when determining wind farm applications in England. This found that current guidance (ETSU-R-97) is fit for purpose but recommended that further good practice guidance is developed to confirm, and where necessary, clarify the way it is implemented in practice in the planning process. The Institute of Acoustics is producing this additional guidance and a draft is expected to be issued for consultation in the summer.
(1) “Analysis of How Noise Impacts are Considered in the Determination of Wind Farm Planning Applications” by Hayes McKenzie Partnership—June 2011
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/wind/onshore/comms_planning/noise/noise.aspx
Wind Power: Burton Latimer
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will visit the Burton Wold wind farm in Burton Latimer to discuss its expansion plans. [112289]
Charles Hendry: I would be happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss this issue.
Wind Power: Carbon Emissions
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the level of carbon savings arising from wind power in (a) 2011 and (b) the most recent period for which figures are available. [111768]
Charles Hendry: Approximately 9.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide was displaced by electricity generation from wind in the UK in 2011, which is the most recent period for which the figures are available.
This figure was calculated using the total amount of electricity generated by wind projects multiplied by an estimate of the amount of carbon dioxide emissions per GWh of electricity supplied for a combination of fossil fuels (which is based on the known fossil fuel mix for electricity generation in the UK for 2010).
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will commission a scientific study to examine the effectiveness of wind turbines in mitigating emissions of carbon dioxide. [112155]
Gregory Barker:
Several independent scientific studies have already been undertaken in this area. The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology(1) has recently summarised a number of peer reviewed research reports and life cycle assessments which compare the carbon footprint(2) of different UK electricity generating technologies. It reported that onshore wind power has a
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carbon footprint range of between 8 to 20gCO2eq/kWh with off shore wind around 9 to 13gCO2eg/kWh
(3). By comparison, the average emissions from fossil fuelled power generation in the UK was around 500gCO2/kWh. Life cycle assessments of CO2 emissions take into account not only emissions from generation of electricity but those incurred during the manufacture, construction and decommissioning phases of the plant and from sourcing of raw materials and feedstocks.
Where wind power displaces electricity generated from fossil fuelled power generation it is therefore mitigating CO2 and my Department estimates that approximately 9.3 million tonnes of CO2 was displaced by electricity generated from wind in the UK in 2011(4).
I therefore do not propose to commission any new research into the lifetime carbon emissions of different generating technologies but will keep under review any new literature in this area as the future UK generation mix will be critical in our move to a low carbon future.
(1 )Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology Note (Postnote) 268 at
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/postpn268.pdf
which was updated in June 2011 by Postnote 383 at:
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/post/postpn_383-carbon-footprint-electricity-generation.pdf
(2 )This is the total amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases emitted over the full life cycle of generating plants. This footprint is expressed in terms of grams of CO2 equivalent per kilowatt hour of generation (gCO2eq/kWh).
(3 )Carbon emissions relating to the manufacture and installation of wind turbines will depend on a range of factors including size and type of turbine, extraction of any raw materials and processes and energy type used to manufacture turbine components, method of transport of components to the site, and location and typography of the site.
(4 )This figure was calculated using the total amount of electricity generated by wind projects multiplied by an estimate of the amount of carbon dioxide emissions per GWh of electricity supplied for a combination of fossil fuels (which is based on the known fossil fuel mix for electricity generation in the UK for 2010).
Wind Power: Northamptonshire
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the load factor was of wind turbines in Northamptonshire in the last six months. [111679]
Charles Hendry: Load factor information is not available on a county basis. In Q4 2011, the latest period for which these data are available, the load factor for the UK was 37.8%(1).
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Regional data for 2011 will be published in ‘Energy Trends’ in September 2012.
(1) Data are produced on a quarterly basis and available in Energy Trends, which can be downloaded from:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/publications/trends/trends.aspx
Wind Power: Planning Permission
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make it his policy to prevent the construction of offshore wind turbines within 12 miles of the coast; and if he will make a statement. [112251]
Charles Hendry: The Government has not set fixed guidelines as to how close offshore wind farms can be built to the shoreline. Applications are treated on a case by case basis and detailed site-specific information and analysis will be required before a consent decision is taken. The environmental sensitivity of coastal areas is not uniform and the visual acceptability of wind farms close to shore will vary on a case by case basis.
Wind Power: Rural Areas
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the recommendations of the Campaign to Protect Rural England publication Generating Light on Landscape Impacts: How to accommodate onshore wind while protecting the countryside. [111657]
Charles Hendry: I noted this publication with interest.
With regard to its recommendations, we have taken action to address concerns over the impact of the siting of wind turbine development. In England, the Government's new National Planning Policy Framework makes the local plan the keystone of the planning system. Through the framework and the wider changes under the Localism Act, the Government have put more power than ever before in the hands of communities to shape their neighbourhoods. We want local decisions to be plan-led, and driven by local councils, who will be able to identify suitable areas for renewable development.
We are acutely aware of the concerns some communities have about development in their areas. The framework is clear about the importance of protecting the natural environment, while supporting the delivery of appropriately sited renewable and low carbon energy capacity. It provides that local councils when preparing local plans should design their policies to ensure that any cumulative and visual impacts from renewable energy developments are addressed satisfactorily.