Interesting links, articles, news and blog posts sent out to members on 23/06/22.
News: Sunak to meet oil and gas bosses in windfall tax charm offensive – Guardian Online
22 June 2022, Alex Lawson. Companies argue that the levy will damage investment into domestic green energy sources:
Open consultation: Draft legislation: Energy (Oil and Gas) Profits Levy Bill – HM Revenue & Customs
21 June 2022. The government is seeking your views on draft legislation for the Energy (Oil and Gas) Profits Levy ahead of the publication of the Bill. This consultation closes at 11:45pm on 28 June 2022:
Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/draft-legislation-energy-oil-and-gas-profits-levy-bill
News: NAO: Ofgem blamed as supplier failures lead to higher energy bills – BBC News Online
22 June 2022, Kevin Peachey. Energy watchdog Ofgem has been accused of allowing an industry to develop on “shaky foundations” in which a series of supply companies collapsed:
Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-61881981
Consultation outcome: Towards fusion energy: proposals for a regulatory framework – Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
20 June 2022. Government response and summary of responses published:
Correspondence: Capacity Market auction determination: letter from BEIS to National Grid ESO, June 2022 – Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
17 June 2022. Letter setting out the government’s intent to hold 2 Capacity Market auctions in 2023: the T-1 auction for 2023 to 2024 and T-4 auction for 2026 to 2027:
Consultation outcome: Proposals for heat network zoning: government response – Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
16 June 2022. Given the response to this consultation, the Department intends to proceed with the key elements of the proposed framework. Plus secure key anchor loads and remove existing barriers to the development of low carbon heat networks. Ofgem will ensure all heat network consumers are provided with effective protections including those living within zone:
Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposals-for-heat-network-zoning
Consultation outcome: Recovering the costs of heat networks regulation – Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
16 June 2022. Government response to consultation published:
Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/recovering-the-costs-of-heat-networks-regulation
News: Prime Minister Boris Johnson aims to protect more households with £1bn energy efficiency boost – City AM
16 June 2022, Nicholas Earl. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is developing plans to insulate hundreds of thousands more homes before winter, as the Government scrambles to ensure vulnerable energy users are protected from spiralling energy bills:
News: UK Government reportedly mulling new £1bn national home insulation scheme – Edie.net
17 June 2022, Sarah George. The UK Government has not denied reports that it is considering a new £1bn scheme to insulate low-income households this winter, using funding raided from other low-carbon energy initiatives:
Link: https://www.edie.net/uk-government-reportedly-mulling-new-1bn-national-home-insulation-scheme/
News: Licensing plan for seabed carbon capture sites – BBC News Online
14 June 2022, Kevin Keane. Regulators have advertised the first formal round of licensing for seabed sites for storing captured carbon:
Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-61783349
News: Sizewell C takes step forwards as government progresses RAB model – Current News
15 June 2022, Molly Lempriere. Sizewell C nuclear power station has taken a step forwards, with the government publishing documents highlighting the progress made towards implementing a Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model:
News: Energy Security Strategy: Closure of one of UK’s last three coal power stations postponed – Edie.net
15 June 2022, Sarah George. EDF has agreed to keep coal operations at its West Burton A power plant online this winter, with the six-month extension touted by the UK Government as a means to help ensure energy security:
Research briefing: The future of low-carbon off-gas grid home and business heating – House of Commons Library
15 June 2022. A debate has been scheduled in Westminster Hall on Thursday 16 June 2022 at 1.30 on the future of low-carbon off-gas grid home and business heating. The debate will be opened by Mr David Jones MP:
Link: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2022-0111/
Article: UK buys option to take 20% stake in Sizewell C nuclear power plant – Guardian Online
14 June 2022, Alex Lawson. £100m move could ease China’s state nuclear company out of project:
News story: Kwarteng advances plans for funding new nuclear projects, including Sizewell C – Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and The Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP
14 June 2022. Significant progress towards implementing a new funding model which will give nuclear projects the financial support they need and attract private investment:
News: Bids invited in UK’s first-ever carbon storage licensing round – North Sea Transition Authority
14 June 2022. The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) is launching the UK’s first-ever carbon storage licensing round with 13 areas of exciting potential available:
News: Government could decouple wholesale gas and power prices in ‘urgent’ market reforms – Current News
13 June 2022, Molly Lempriere. The government could decouple energy bills from wholesale gas and electricity prices as part of a suite of ‘urgent’ electricity market reforms:
Link: https://www.current-news.co.uk/news/government-to-consult-on-market-reform-with-urgency
Research briefing: The future hydrogen economy – House of Commons Library
10 June 2022. A debate has been scheduled in Westminster Hall on Tuesday 14 June 2022 at 4.30 on the future hydrogen economy. The debate will be opened by Jacob Young MP:
Link: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2022-0107/
Research briefing: Taxation of North Sea oil and gas – House of Commons Library
17 June 2022. This Library briefing gives an overview of the way that the profits from North Sea oil and gas production are taxed, and how the fiscal regime that applies to North Sea oil and gas production has been reformed in recent years, including the Government’s announcement in May 2022 of the Energy Profits Levy:
Link: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn00341/
News: British Gas owner says rivals blocking plans to protect customer deposits – Guardian Online
10 June 2022, Alex Lawson. Centrica accuses two big suppliers of resisting proposals in wake of collapse of scores of energy firms:
Link: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jun/10/british-gas-customer-deposits-centrica-energy-firms
Research briefing: The future hydrogen economy – House of Commons Library
10 June 2022. A debate has been scheduled in Westminster Hall on Tuesday 14 June 2022 at 4.30 on the future hydrogen economy:
Link: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2022-0107/
Report: Storm Arwen – Ofgem
9 June 2022. Storm Arwen brought widespread disruption to the UK and resulted in over one million customers losing power. Approximately 40,000 customers were without supply for more than three days, and nearly 4,000 customers were off supply for over a week. In light of the severity of the event and the long duration that many customers endured without power, Ofgem has conducted a review of the DNOs response to Storm Arwen:
Link: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/storm-arwen-report
News: High Court to hear legal challenges to UK Government’s key net-zero policy packages – Edie.net
8 June 2022, Sarah George. Three environmental campaign groups – Friends of the Earth, ClientEarth and Good Law Project – mounted separate legal challenges to the Strategy in January:
News: Dunsfold oil drilling application approved by government – BBC News Online
8 June 2022. An application to drill for gas in Surrey has been approved by the government after it had been refused twice by the county council: