(Warrington South) (Con): Last week I visited Penketh
South Community Primary School in Warrington to talk to year 6
children about how we can generate cleaner energy in the future.
Does the Prime Minister agree with me that, as well as backing
electric vehicle production in the north-west, there is a great
opportunity to shift towards low-carbon hydrogen by providing
support for projects such as HyNet North West, which by 2030 will
secure thousands of green jobs in the north-west, as well as
cutting emissions to the same level as taking 4 million cars off
the roads?
The Prime Minister: Yes, I believe that the north-west, in
addition to the rest of the country, will be a world leader in
hydrogen technology. The HyNet project is an excellent example.
We have already put £45 million into supporting the HyNet
project, kickstarting our hydrogen capture and storage, and I
thank my hon. Friend for his support.
(Burton)
(Con) [V]: I am sure that the whole House welcomes the fantastic
news of Nissan’s investment in an electric battery gigafactory in
Sunderland, but does the Prime Minister agree that batteries are
only part of the solution in pursuit of net zero by 2050, and
that zero-carbon hydrogen combustion engines, such as those
recently developed by Midlands-based JCB, have an important role
to play in our country’s decarbonisation plans?
The Prime Minister: My hon. Friend is completely right. The
investments that we have seen in just the last week or
so—Nissan’s investment in a gigafactory in Sunderland and what
Stellantis is doing at Ellesmere Port—are tremendously exciting
for battery-powered vehicles. It is fantastic, but we must not
forget hydrogen. As I said in an earlier answer, we want this
country to be a world leader in hydrogen technology as well.
