Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Maritime Sector: Decarbonisation

Thursday 20 November 2025 · 2 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 ports require significant grid capacity for large-scale electrification to support maritime decarbonisation.
  • The Department for Transport announced a funding of 448 million to decarbonise UK maritime in the Minister's first week.
  • The port of Falmouth has faced grid capacity issues despite receiving Government funding for plug-in power.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Wera Hobhouse Lib Dem Bath
Climate Energy
Context

The Port of Dover's plan to electrify short straits crossings has been discussed. The Transport Committee urged the government to provide planning authorities with clear guidance for grid and substation upgrades.

Question

UK ports are clear that large-scale electrification is essential for maritime decarbonisation, but the required grid capacity is severely lacking. Will the Department prioritise enabling ports to build up their grid infrastructure before they fall behind international competition, so that we can continue to lead on maritime decarbonisation?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Keir Mather)

I agree with the hon. Lady on her ambition to decarbonise maritime. That is why, in my first week as maritime Minister, I announced funding of £448 million to decarbonise UK maritime. She is right to note that electrification and grid capacity are enormous issues. Department for Transport officials continue to work across the ports sector to ensure that we can improve the grid connection process, and DESNZ is working on reform of that process to free up 500 GW of capacity for crucial sectors such as ports.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer provided acknowledges the issue but does not explicitly commit to prioritising actions enabling ports to build up their grid infrastructure before falling behind international competition.

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Q2 Jayne Kirkham Labour (Co-op) Truro and Falmouth
Climate Energy
Context

The Port of Falmouth has benefited from Government money for plug-in power but is held back by grid capacity issues. It aims to redevelop and expand to service the floating offshore wind sector.

Question

The port of Falmouth has benefited from Government money for plug-in power, but it has been held back by the grid. The port is also trying to redevelop and expand, so that it can service the floating offshore wind sector, and bring in freight on the freight line that we lost 15 years ago. Will the Minister support the port of Falmouth in those aims, and will he visit?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Keir Mather)

My hon. Friend is a champion for the port of Falmouth. I applaud the work that it is doing to achieve decarbonisation. It is incumbent on me to work with Ofgem and my departmental colleagues in DESNZ to ensure that we speed up the improvement of port capacity and connection to the national grid. I would be very happy to visit that port in the future to explore its fantastic work.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister committed to working with Ofgem but did not provide a direct commitment to support specific redevelopment plans of the port of Falmouth.

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