The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 25th April 2022:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to improve the capture of waste heat from British industry to alleviate rising energy costs.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about waste heat”
The Bishop of Durham asked a question about investment in sustainable energy during a debate on gas production on 15th March 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Durham: Will the Minister expand on the investment of microgeneration at local level? At Bishop Auckland, one of the local estates is having a massive transformation through solar being installed on all the rooms on that estate. Could not more money be put into that? Let us forget fracking, to be honest, because it is not going to deliver us anything at any time.
Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks about energy investment”
The Bishop of Salisbury asked a question on research and investment in renewable energy on 3rd February 2021, during a discussion on the impact of electricity delays on the UK energy supply:
The Lord Bishop of Salisbury [V]: My Lords, the price of electricity from Hinkley is remaining unchanged at £92.50 per megawatt hour, and EDF is expecting the same profit of more than 7.1% on its investment. Given that, can the Minister explain the points that she has just made about how the additional 30% of construction costs on the initial £18 billion budget is being absorbed at no cost to consumers? As the price of electricity from renewables has dropped—with wind now at £40 per megawatt hour—might not research and development into renewals have been a better investment? Hinkley already looks like transitional technology.
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The Lord Bishop of Salisbury [V]: My Lords, I very much welcome the energy White Paper.
On 27th October the House of Lords considered the Government’s Infrastructure Planning (Electricity Storage Facilities) Order 2020 in Grand Committee. The Bishop of Salisbury took part in the debate, highlighting the need for local authorities to be properly resourced to respond, and the value of microgeneration:
The Lord Bishop of Salisbury [V]: My Lords, this is not really my territory. I hesitate to come into this discussion but I will not delay noble Lords long. I note that the Delegated Legislation Committee in the other place dealt with this proposal in 13 minutes and, even then, the Minister commented on the widening of the discussion beyond the SI itself. That has already begun to happen in this discussion.
There seems to be little controversy surrounding the SI. The 2019 consultation drew 28 responses from industry, which were broadly supportive. However, is not the question that needs to be addressed on what additional funding will be given to local authorities to ensure that there is sufficient expertise and capacity for local planning officers to make fully informed decisions about these planning requests? Continue reading “Bishop of Salisbury calls for more focus on energy microgeneration”
On 20th October Lord Ravensdale asked the Government “what assessment they have made of the report by the International Energy Agency World Energy Outlook 2020, published on 13 October.” The Bishop of Salisbury asked a follow up question:
The Lord Bishop of Salisbury [V]: My Lords, the report from the IEA focuses on the impact of the pandemic on macro energy generation and distribution, and it emphasises the vulnerability of the national grid. The pandemic has emphasised the importance of the local, so how does the Minister see the Government’s role in encouraging the rapid development of local micro energy generation? Continue reading “Bishop of Salisbury asks Government about investment in local micro-energy generation”
Continue reading “Church Commissioners Written Answer: Coal use in churches and vicarages”
On 10th April 2019 the Bishop of Salisbury, Rt Revd Nicholas Holtam, received written answers to three questions on the environment: on clean growth targets, gas and coal:
The Lord Bishop of Salisbury: (HL15041) To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to announce (1) measurable targets, and (2) deadlines, for their clean growth measures announced in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement; by how much they intend to increase the proportion of green gas in the National Grid; and when they estimate that target will be reached. Continue reading “Bishop of Salisbury asks Government about clean growth targets, gas and coal”
On 27th June 2018 the House of Lords considered the Government’s Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill. The Bishop of Chester took part in a vote on an amendment to the Bill:
Continue reading “Vote: Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill”
On the 15th May 2018 Baroness Sheehan asked the Government “how much overseas development assistance was spent on fossil fuel subsidies in the most recent reporting period.” The Bishop of Durham, Rt Revd Paul Butler, asked a follow up question about small-scale, off-grid energy systems.
The Lord Bishop of Durham: My Lords, 1.06 billion people on the planet currently live without modern energy services. Renewable energy, particularly small-scale and off-grid energy systems, will play a key role in making sure that energy-poor communities have access to affordable and reliable electricity. DfID’s Energy Africa campaign is an excellent example of this. Will the Minister update the House on the progress of that campaign since its launch in 2015, and elaborate on the Government’s plans for spending on small-scale, off-grid energy systems? Continue reading “Bishop of Durham asks Government about renewable energy and development”
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