Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Renewables and Green Energy: Onshore Employment

Wednesday 3 November 2021 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Minister pledged to support the transition to net zero by 2050, aiming for hundreds of thousands of well-paid jobs and up to 90 billion of private investment by 2030.
  • The Acorn carbon capture and storage and hydrogen project remains a reserve project and the UK Government is working to ensure its inclusion in future rounds.
  • Minister regularly meets Cabinet colleagues to discuss reducing grid connection charges for renewable energy expansion in Scotland.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Kenny MacAskill
Climate Scotland Energy
Context

The questioner is concerned about the lack of support for local communities to benefit from renewable energy projects in Scotland.

Question

What steps he is taking to support onshore employment from renewables and other forms of green energy in Scotland. Communities must have local as well as large-scale projects such as turbine manufacturing, which Scotland is sadly missing out on, but communities such as my own in East Lothian are denied a share of the wealth going ashore.

Answer from Iain Stewart

This Government are committed to the transition of the economy to net zero by 2050. We recently published our net zero strategy, which will support hundreds of thousands of well-paid jobs and leverage up to £90 billion of private investment by 2030 across the entire United Kingdom. I am always happy to meet the hon. Gentleman, but I would point out to him that this Government are investing heavily in offshore wind, as was announced this week by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The questioner's specific request for a meeting and discussion on East Lothian communities benefiting from offshore wind was not directly addressed.

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Q2 Kenny MacAskill
Climate Scotland
Context

The questioner highlights that communities such as East Lothian are denied a share of the wealth generated by offshore wind projects and asks for legislative changes to allow community benefits.

Question

Communities must have local as well as large-scale projects such as turbine manufacturing, which Scotland is sadly missing out on. There is a legislative gap to allow community benefit from offshore as opposed to onshore wind. Will the Minister meet me to discuss this to see whether East Lothian and other such communities can benefit from offshore wind?

Answer from Iain Stewart

This Government are committed to the transition of the economy to net zero by 2050. We recently published our net zero strategy, which will support hundreds of thousands of well-paid jobs and leverage up to £90 billion of private investment by 2030 across the entire United Kingdom. I am always happy to meet the hon. Gentleman, but I would point out to him that this Government are investing heavily in offshore wind, as was announced this week by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The questioner's specific request for a meeting and discussion on East Lothian communities benefiting from offshore wind was not directly addressed.

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Q3 David Duguid Con
Climate Scotland
Context

The questioner asks about the Acorn carbon capture and storage and hydrogen project and its status in the UK Government's carbon capture, utilisation and storage strategy.

Question

Scotland clearly has a lot to offer towards our net zero objectives—not least its high-quality wind! Can my hon. Friend confirm that the Acorn carbon capture and storage and hydrogen project is still very much part of the UK Government's plans for our overall carbon capture, utilisation and storage strategy and our net zero objectives?

Answer from Iain Stewart

The short answer is yes. As I explained a moment ago, that was not successful in the first two but it is a reserve project and we are actively working to ensure that it is there in future rounds.

Partly answered

Not addressed: While acknowledging the Acorn project as a reserve option, no specific commitment or timeline was provided regarding its inclusion in future plans.

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Q4 Carol Monaghan SNP
Climate Energy
Context

The questioner notes that the expansion of Scotland's renewable sector is hindered by high grid connection charges and asks about discussions to reduce these charges.

Question

Over 97% of Scotland's electricity comes from renewable sources. This sector's expansion is hampered not by potential but by the highest grid connection charges in the UK. COP is an opportunity to reassess such arrangements, so what discussions has the Minister had with Cabinet colleagues on reducing those connection charges?

Answer from Iain Stewart

I regularly meet Cabinet colleagues to discuss these matters and I will continue to do so. I would point out the investment that my Department is making in renewable energy right across Scotland. This includes the community renewable energy—or CoRE—project in East Ayrshire and tidal energy and offshore wind in Shetland.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The questioner's specific request for details on discussions to reduce grid connection charges was not directly addressed.

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