Peter Aldous calls on the Government to remove regulatory barriers preventing community energy projects from playing their full role and supplying local communities with clean energy.
The Waveney constituency and across East Anglia much is being achieved through harnessing natural resources. Parts of one of the largest clusters of offshore wind farms in the world are either in operation, being built, or being planned. 4GW of power is already operational off the East Anglian coast, accounting for over 50% of the UK’s installed capacity.
This success is being mirrored in energy hot spots around the UK and, with potential developments in the pipeline, we will be able to provide much of the Government’s newly revised higher target of 40GW by 2030 and subsequently 75GW by 2050.
The Government must work collaboratively with local communities and industry when developing the regulatory framework to ensure that industry is not disadvantaged.
There are a number of opportunities for the oil & gas sector as the UK transforms to net zero carbon emissions. The sector has an ongoing role in providing energy security and it clearly reduces carbon footprint to use UK oil and gas rather than imports. The industry can act as a bridge to a low-carbon future, promoting the use of gas, hydrogen and carbon capture, utilisation and storage. There are transferable skills to the offshore renewables sector and, finally, the large amount of work in the decommissioning of oil and gas assets in the North Sea.
Nuclear energy also has an important part to play in providing long-term low-carbon energy security and it is important we press ahead with projects such as Sizewell C in Suffolk.
Finally, with the UK having 50% of Europe’s tidal energy and 35% of its wave energy, the UK is in pole position to be the world leader in this sector, which could contribute to the UK’s future energy mix, further improving self-sufficiency. We should support these emerging technologies to bring down their costs, and consider funding arrangements to support them in their early stages, as we did with solar and wind.
Peter Aldous is working with Power for People and sponsoring the Local Electricity Bill to deliver more clean, local energy that benefits local communities.
Peter Aldous calls on the Government to encourage innovative techniques to decrease the environmental impact of detonating UXOs and calls for a review the regulatory framework to pursue an ecosystem approach that takes full account of the increasing and varied demand on our marine resources.
Peter Aldous welcomes the inclusion of clean maritime in the Government's Green 10-point plan to reduce carbon emissions and calls on the Government to ensure that there is a comprehensive cross-departmental strategy for investment in new green port infrastructure.
Speaking in an Adjournment Debate on Offshore Wind Transmission Connections, Peter Aldous welcomes the huge potential of the North Sea basin to generate jobs and to achieve our carbon reduction targets and urges the Government to work collaboratively with industry when developing the regulatory framework to ensure industry is not disadvantaged.
Speaking in a debate on the future of the UK oil and gas industry, Peter Aldous highlights opportunities in the sector as the UK moves to a net zero future. There is an ongoing role in providing energy security without importing from overseas; the promotion of gas, hydrogen and carbon capture, utilisation and storage; collaboration and skills transfer with offshore renewables and the decommissioning of oil and gas assets in the North Sea.
Peter Aldous speaks in the debate on the Queen’s Speech highlighting the green energy and fishing opportunities for the East Anglian coastal region and urges the Government to take these opportunities to revitalise the area.
Peter Aldous questions the Government on the UK export strategy and the promotion of British business in the offshore wind and late-life decarbonising management a decommissioning of oil and gas fields.