Hydrogen Energy
(Vale of Clwyd) (Con)
What steps his Department is taking to support the development of
hydrogen energy.
(North Norfolk) (Con)
What steps his Department is taking to support the development of
hydrogen energy.
The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial
Strategy ()
Both the Prime Minister’s 10-point plan and our energy White
Paper, which we published yesterday, set out our bold ambition
for the UK to be a world leader in low-carbon hydrogen. As set
out in the White Paper, we are determined to make tangible
progress in this important sector, including by investing £240
million through the net zero hydrogen fund and supporting
industry to begin a hydrogen heating trial in an entire
neighbourhood by 2023. We will publish a comprehensive hydrogen
strategy early next year.
The development of hydrogen energy can lead to thousands of new
jobs UK-wide, including an estimated 6,000 in my region through
the HyNet project. Will my right hon. Friend do all he can to
help HyNet access industrial decarbonisation challenge funding to
allow it to progress?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right: this is all about jobs—high
value-added jobs. He, along with other colleagues in the House,
makes the case at every opportunity for the HyNet project, and it
is very lucky to have him as a champion. As he will know, HyNet
has already received funding through phase 1 of the industrial
decarbonisation challenge, as well as £13 million of support
through the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial
Strategy energy innovation programme. We will announce the
winners of the next phase of the industrial decarbonisation
challenge in spring next year.
Bacton gas terminal in my constituency harbours a significant
percentage of the natural gas intake into the UK. What assessment
has my right hon. Friend made of the potential opportunities
presented for the manufacture of blue hydrogen at Bacton,
creating low-carbon jobs for the east of England?
My hon. Friend again raises the issue of jobs. Of course,
creating these low-carbon jobs across the country is a priority
for the Government. As I have set out, in our 10-point plan and
the energy White Paper we have put forward policies for the
creation of a significant number of jobs. The Oil and Gas
Authority is currently conducting an in-depth feasibility study
into blue hydrogen at the Bacton gas terminal. I very much
welcome that work, and my officials and, indeed, Ministers would
be very happy to engage further with my hon. Friend on this
matter.
(Southampton, Test) (Lab)
I am pleased to see that the net zero hydrogen fund that the
Secretary of State just mentioned will support, among other
things, the production of hydrogen. Will he commit today to using
that fund to prioritise the production of green hydrogen, as
opposed to blue hydrogen, in the future?
We will have to look at what bids come in in respect of how that
funding is used, but I say again—I made this point yesterday at
the Dispatch Box—that it is not just public money; we are also
talking about private sector money coming alongside it. The hon.
Gentleman will know that Hydrogen Strategy Now, a campaign group
of more than 50 companies, has said that it is ready to invest £3
billion in hydrogen projects, and that was after the publication
of the 10-point plan.
Hydrogen Energy
(City of
Chester) (Lab)
What steps the Government have taken to support the introduction
of hydrogen energy networks in the UK.
The Minister for Business, Energy and Clean Growth ()
The 10-point plan set out a comprehensive package to underpin our
ambition for 5 GW of hydrogen production capacity by 2030. We
have also announced a £240 million net zero housing fund and will
publish a UK hydrogen strategy next year.
The GMB union has pointed out that one of the simple benefits of
the hydrogen strategy is that there is an existing gas network
with 24 million homes connected to it, and thousands of jobs can
be retained without any retraining schemes. When the Minister
brings forward his hydrogen strategy next year, will he bear in
mind that the HyNet system in the north-west will be able to
deliver 80% of the entire UK target of 5 GW by 2030? Will he
resist the temptation, which I mentioned to the Secretary of
State yesterday, to play one region off against another, and
perhaps increase the amount of money so that we can all share in
the benefits?
The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. The whole point of a
hydrogen strategy is to dovetail nicely with the levelling-up
agenda. I know many of the people in the HyNet cluster, which is
an excellent cluster doing great work. We hope that those
benefits and that innovation can be spread throughout the country
and create opportunity the width and breadth of our country.
Renewable Energy:
Capacity
(Eastbourne) (Con)
What steps his Department is taking to increase the capacity of
renewable energy in the UK.
(Birkenhead) (Lab)
What steps he is taking to develop the renewable energy sector in
the UK.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy
and Industrial Strategy ()
The UK is a world leader in offshore wind and proud to be the
home of the world’s largest offshore wind farm. That is why we
have increased our target to deliver 40 GW of offshore wind,
quadrupling capacity by 2030, and announced £160 million to
support ports and infrastructure enabling the sector to support
up to 60,000 jobs.
Off the Sussex coast, the Rampion wind farm has plans to triple
its output. It is already powering local homes, but it could also
be key to developing green hydrogen to power heavy transport,
including buses. Does my hon. Friend agree that this technology
needs to be scaled up and at pace, and what support is being
given by her Department to bring partners together to deliver
this green hydrogen fuel across the network so that places such
as my home town of Eastbourne can see an improvement in its air
quality and meet its 2030 carbon neutral ambition?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Green hydrogen, coupled with
our abundant offshore wind resources, could play a vital role in
decarbonising crucial parts of the economy, including heavy
transport. The energy White Paper sets out our ambition for 5 GW
of low-carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030. The £23
million hydrogen for transport programme has already helped grow
the number of publicly accessible hydrogen refuelling stations
across the UK.
The tidal energy industry has a hugely important role to play in
meeting increased demand for electricity and achieving net zero
carbon emissions. The Mersey tidal project has the potential to
transform Merseyside, generating enough power for 1 million homes
across the north-west, while creating thousands of jobs and
positioning our region as a world leader in tidal energy. What
practical steps are the Government taking in the immediate term
to support the development of this much needed project?
I thank the hon. Member for his question. The Government have
funded the north-west energy hub to develop renewable
opportunities in the region and are open to considering
well-developed proposals with strongly demonstratable value for
money and for the environment. He will also know that our
officials have been in communication with the Mersey tidal power
team, and I ask that they continue their engagement.
