18 Mar
Question
Clean Power by 2030

During this session in the House of Commons regarding the UK's goal of clean power by 2030, several significant contributions were made by various MPs, with Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State, central to the discourse.

  1. Grid Expansion & Planning: Miliband highlighted the recent introduction of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill aimed at expanding the energy grid and removing delays, alongside a new initiative to provide financial benefits to households near new energy infrastructures.
  1. Community Energy & Visits: Dan Tomlinson emphasized the importance of community energy projects, inviting Miliband to visit Community Energy Barnet, indicating a commitment to grassroots energy initiatives.
£250 annual discount for 10 years

offered to households near new or upgraded pylons to encourage community support for clean energy projects.

  1. Sustainable Practices & Subsidies: Sir Oliver Dowden raised concerns regarding the environmental practices of Drax, with Miliband responding by noting reduced subsidies and increased sustainability standards, which addresses both ecological and financial critiques.
  1. Political Allegations & Long-term Goals: Perran Moon used the session to express frustration at Conservative policies, contrasting them with Labour’s vision for energy security and jobs by 2030, which Miliband supported, aligning with pre-established net zero targets by 2050.
June Spending Review

given as the timeline for final decisions on projects like Acorn.

  1. Green Energy Projects & Future Decisions: Seamus Logan pressed for timelines on the Acorn project approvals, with Miliband indicating that decisions would occur at the upcoming spending review in June.

The session was characterized by affirmations of policy initiatives, concerns over corporate compliance with sustainability, and ongoing strategic dialogues around future-proofing UK energy.

Subsidy reduction and windfall tax on Drax

measures to enhance accountability and sustainability for large corporations in the energy sector.

Outcome

The session reinforced the government's commitment towards achieving clean energy by 2030. New policies like the Planning and Infrastructure Bill were highlighted, indicating significant infrastructure upgrades. The discourse around Drax pointed to a balanced approach towards sustainability and economic viability. Miliband's responses aimed to assert transparency and forthcoming advances.

Key Contributions

Dan TomlinsonMP
Labour

Questioned progress towards 2030 clean power goal, highlighting the role of community energy and inviting the Secretary of State to view local initiatives.

Ed MilibandSecretary of State

Outlined Planning and Infrastructure Bill and its implications for grid expansion.

Sir Oliver DowdenMP
Conservative

Raised concerns about Drax's environmental practices and questioned government subsidies, urging a reassessment.

Perran MoonMP
Labour

Criticized Conservative policy performance, aligning Labour’s policies with job creation and energy security targets for 2030.

Seamus LoganMP
SNP

Pushed for clarity on the timeline for approving the Acorn project, relevant to local green initiatives.

Original Transcript
Dan Tomlinson
Chipping Barnet
Lab
Question
UIN: 903232

4. What progress he has made on achieving clean power by 2030.

The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
Ed Miliband
11:49

We are driving forward at speed to deliver clean power by 2030.

Last week, the Government introduced the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which will enable the biggest expansion of the grid for generations, sweeping away the connection delays and the queue that held us back for too long under the last Government and reforming the planning system to speed up delivery.

We have also laid out for the first time legislation to provide households near new or upgraded pylons £250 a year off their energy bills for 10 years, as part of our commitment to delivering meaningful benefits for communities hosting clean energy infrastructure.

Dan Tomlinson
11:49

Does the Secretary of State agree that community energy has a vital role to play in the transition to cleaner and greener power?

Will he accept an invitation to come to my constituency in north London to visit Community Energy Barnet, which is working on one of the largest community energy projects in the country?

Ed Miliband
11:49

I always like visiting north London, and I would very much like to accept an invitation from my hon. Friend. He makes a really serious and important point about community energy. If we look at Germany and Denmark, we see that they have done much better on community energy than us.

Great British Energy has an important role to play in this, and we will say more about that in the coming weeks.

Ed Miliband
11:54

I do not know whether the right hon. Gentleman, for whom I have great respect, was present when the Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, my hon. Friend the Member for Rutherglen (Michael Shanks), made a statement on precisely that issue.

On the impact on bills, he will be delighted to know that under the new arrangements that this Government agreed, there has been an absolute transformation in the scale of subsidy to Drax; it will be halved.

There is also a windfall tax when its profits go above a certain level, which I am sure the right hon. Gentleman is in favour of, and there are much higher standards of sustainability. He is right that we should take these issues seriously.

Perran Moon
Camborne and Redruth
Lab
11:55

The Conservative party abandoned the economy, the NHS, the justice system and immigration, and now it is joining its Reform collaborators and other climate change deniers in the dunce’s corner.

Does the Secretary of State agree that, unlike this Government, who recognise the triple benefit of the 2030 goal—energy security, a transition to renewables, and job creation—the Conservative party has no solutions for 21st century Britain?

Ed Miliband
11:55

My hon. Friend should not be so shy and retiring. He makes a really important point. I listened to the interim shadow Secretary of State, the hon. Member for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine (Andrew Bowie), on the radio this morning.

He made net zero 2050 sound like a target dreamed up by me, but it is not. It was Theresa May, the former Conservative Prime Minister, who legislated for net zero by 2050. The hon. Member was her Parliamentary Private Secretary at the time—he was supposed to be the man implementing it.

She set the target because it was the right thing to do, so that we can have cleaner home-grown energy, get the jobs, and protect future generations.

Seamus Logan
Aberdeenshire North and Moray East
SNP
11:56

The plans for a green generator at the Peterhead power station in my constituency are shovel-ready, but they depend on approval for the Acorn project at St Fergus.

On 12 November last year, the Minister for Industry stated in response to a question from me that more information would be available on the track 2 projects “in the coming months.

” Given that four months have passed, can the Secretary of State provide an updated timescale and outline what the next steps will be?

Ed Miliband

I support the Acorn project; it is really important. For reasons that the hon. Member will understand, the right time to make decisions will be at the spending review in June.

All content derived from official parliamentary records