Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Clean Energy Technologies: Private Sector Investment

Tuesday 18 April 2023 · 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 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • UK Government's "Powering up Britain" plan aims to leverage 100 billion of private investment in clean energy technologies.
  • The plan includes a 30 million government investment to leverage 300 million in private investment for heat pump technology.
  • The UK's energy efficiency and renewable electricity figures have significantly improved, with targets to maintain global leadership in the sector.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alok Sharma Con
Climate Business & Trade
Context

The question arises from the need to increase private investment in decarbonised energy systems.

Question

What steps is he taking to help increase private sector investment in clean energy technologies? He highlights that one of the ways to ensure more private sector investment is by supporting UK companies to export to key markets, such as discussions between the UK and US Governments on critical minerals for access to financial support available under the Inflation Reduction Act.

Answer from Graham Stuart

Our “Powering up Britain” plan leverages £100 billion of private investment through billions of pounds of government funding. He expresses enthusiasm for leading the world in meeting net zero challenges and developing technologies that can be exported, highlighting issues with the Inflation Reduction Act in the United States and engaging solidly on these points.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific updates or confidence regarding discussions on critical minerals were not provided.

How: He Shares My Enthusiasm, We Are Engaging Solidly

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Q2 Alok Sharma Con
Climate Energy
Context

In 2021, only 60,000 heat pumps were installed in the UK compared to 1.5 million gas boilers.

Question

According to the European Heat Pump Association, we have the lowest number of heat pumps installed relative to population in Europe. What more can the Government do to change that?

Answer from Graham Stuart

The decarbonisation of heat remains a major challenge. With “Powering up Britain”, £30 million of government money is used to leverage £300 million in private investment, but more needs to be done to change the trajectory and meet targets.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer did not specify additional steps beyond current efforts.

How: We Need To Do More, I Agree That We Need To Do More

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Q3 Hilary Benn Lab Leeds South
Economy Climate Energy
Context

US companies have announced over 100,000 new jobs in the past seven months due to IRA.

Question

Since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, nearly 10 times more new jobs have been created in the US green economy compared to the UK's in the past seven years. British business wants a proper response to IRA. Is not the biggest danger that Britain being left behind as others speed ahead?

Answer from Graham Stuart

The UK's energy efficiency figures have improved from 14% to about 50%, and renewable electricity figures from 7% to about 50%. The rest of the world is playing catch-up.

Not addressed: The question was about IRA, but the answer shifted focus to UK's achievements instead of addressing competitive challenges.

How: It Is Ironic That, Rest Of The World Is Playing Catch-Up

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Q4 Kerry McCarthy Lab Bristol East
Economy Climate
Context

Britain's only home-grown battery manufacturer is considering leaving the UK for the US.

Question

The Government are at sea about Britain's response to IRA, with dogma, dither and delay harming the country. When will they realise this?

Answer from Graham Stuart

The rest of the world is playing catch-up; our regulatory systems have unlocked renewables and grid acceleration continues, maintaining global leadership.

Not addressed: The question was about IRA impact but the answer shifted to UK's competitive situation without addressing the specific concerns raised.

How: Truth Is That, Rest Of The World Is Playing Catch-Up

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