Select committee: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee
Conclusion 41
Eleventh Report - Decarbonisation of the power sector
Published 28 Apr 2023
Paragraph 186
Addressed to Department for Business and Trade
Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee Decarbonisation of the power sector All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
A lack of network capacity and delays to securing grid connections are together hampering the delivery of low-carbon power and driving potential investments overseas. For too long, transmission and distribution network owners have been able to delay or avoid the level of anticipatory investment required to deliver a network capable of meeting the needs of the country. Ofgem’s approach to agreeing future investment in previous investment rounds has not been proactive enough, Decarbonisation of the power sector 107 and frequent changes to Government policy have increased investment risk. Together, the system has failed to deliver what is required, and that must change.
From: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee, Eleventh Report - Decarbonisation of the power sector (HC 283), paragraph 186, 28 April 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 14 July 2023 (deadline 28 June 2023).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government welcomes the Committee's report and responds to each recommendation, planning annual reporting on power sector decarbonisation while setting out where it will not adopt specific proposals.
- On the call for a long-term delivery plan, the government "plans to report on its delivery, and overall plan to deliver the commitment, on an annual basis", and is strengthening its portfolio management approach.
- On a UK-wide onshore wind target, it states that setting one "would potentially undermine the flexibility needed" across the UK.
- On biomass, it has "no plans to remove support prior to 2027" for stations already supported, saying they "have a statutory right to their existing support".
- On Ofgem's duties, it is "content to amend" Ofgem's existing duty on greenhouse gases to refer specifically to the net zero targets in the Climate Change Act 2008.