Committee questions Energy Minister on energy grid expansion
The Industry and Regulators Committee will hold the final session of its inquiry into the energy grid and grid connections with Energy Minister Michael Shanks MP. The Committee will question the Minister on how important expanding the energy grid is to meeting the Government’s clean power target, and what role the Government will play in encouraging grid expansion. The Committee will consider barriers to network projects, such as delays in the planning system, and examine the Government’s confidence that the planning system will be able to handle these projects quickly enough. The Committee will also discuss whether the Government has given clear enough guidance to Ofgem on how it should balance the need for network investment with the affordability of energy bills, and on how it should play its role in driving economic growth.
Meeting details
Possible questions include:
- How confident is the Government that the clean power target can be met, and how important is the delivery of energy network infrastructure to meeting the target?
- Does the Government need to provide further guidance for Ofgem on how it should focus on growth and drive grid expansion?
- Is the Government confident that the planning system will be able to handle energy projects quickly enough to meet the clean power target, once the provisions of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill are implemented?
- Are greater locational signals needed in the energy system to reduce the need for additional grid investment? Should these be provided by zonal pricing or reforms to network charges?