MPs hear from Grant Shapps in first evidence session as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The Environmental Audit Committee hears from Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), in a wide-ranging session directly following the Spring Budget.
MPs will take evidence from the Secretary of State on the work of his new Department, including how the delivery of the target of net zero emissions by 2050 is to be coordinated across Government departments.
Meeting details
The Committee is likely to examine progress against the UK’s net zero targets. The Committee recently published its report into accelerating the transition from fossil fuels and securing energy supplies, which found significant gaps in the British Energy Security Strategy and called for greater emphasis on energy saving.
The Committee may also seek to establish when the Government plans to publish its now-overdue biomass strategy, which was expected by the end of 2022. The evidence session also comes ahead of the anticipated refresh of the Net Zero Strategy, and the Government’s response to Mission Zero, the report of Chris Skidmore MP’s Net Zero Review.
Other potential topics for discussion include:
- UK policy on attracting green investment in light of the US Inflation Reduction Act;
- The work of the new Energy Efficiency Taskforce and Government energy efficiency funding;
- How the UK’s offshore oil and gas sector will meet emissions reduction targets under the North Sea Transition Deal;
- Deployment of solar, wind and other renewable energy technologies; and
- progress on strategy on hydrogen production and distribution.