, Chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Committee, has commented today on the publication of the
Government’s Energy White Paper.
, BEIS Committee Chair, said: “The Energy White Paper’s
arrival, while long overdue, is welcome, and goes some way to
putting flesh on the bones of the Prime Minister’s 10-point plan
for the UK to achieve net-zero. As a Committee we will now take a
close look at the White Paper to see if it delivers on the Carbon
Budgets and our net-zero target.
“The BEIS Committee called for urgent clarity on carbon pricing
post-Brexit. Whilst it has taken too long, it is welcome the
Government has now responded and committed to a UK ETS, which
leaves open the possibility of linking to the larger European ETS
in the future.
“I hope the Government will be able to provide some clarity on
their ambitions for replacing fossil fuel boilers. Decarbonising
heat in homes will be central to our net-zero ambitions. The
Government’s White Paper suggests gas boilers could still be sold
up to 2035. Given the 15-year average lifetime of a gas boiler,
these boilers could still be burning gas by 2050, which would
seem to make a mockery of the UK’s 2050 net zero target.
“The BEIS Committee will be keen to examine the clarity, scope
and deliverability of the Energy White Paper’s ambitions in our
evidence session on 12 January and in our decarbonising heat
inquiry later in the New Year.”
The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee will be
holding an evidence session examining the Energy White Paper on
the morning of Tuesday 12 January 2021 (witnesses: tbc).
Background information – BEIS Committee work on decarbonising
heat and on carbon pricing and the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)
In the New Year, the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
will be picking up its inquiry (launched in October) examining
the path to decarbonising heating in homes.
The BEIS Committee will be examining the Government’s approach
and looking at the policies, priorities and timelines which are
needed to decarbonise heating in residential buildings and help
ensure the UK gets on track to deliver Net Zero by 2050. The
decarbonising heat in homes inquiry is likely to examine areas
such as the technological challenges to decarbonising heat,
issues around network capacity and distributing costs,
incentives, regulation and consumer engagement & protection,
and how-to co-ordinate and deliver low-carbon heating.
The BEIS Committee recently held evidence sessions looking at the
future of carbon pricing and UK arrangements for an emissions
trading scheme (ETS), including a session with MP, Minister for Business, Energy and Clean Growth.
Following the session, , BEIS Committee Chair, wrote to the Minister with a
series of questions relating to the post-transition period regime
for UK carbon pricing.
