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Written question asked by Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party) on Tuesday, 2 December 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 4 December 2025. It was answered by Keir Mather (Labour) on Friday, 5 December 2025 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Ports: Electrification

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on prioritising access to the national grid for port electrification to support ports who wish to offer onshore power supply connection to cruise line customers.

Answer

Reforming the connections process and investing in the grid is a key Government priority. This includes reforms that are expected to deprioritise over half of the existing queue based on readiness and strategic alignment with our strategy as set out in Clean Power 2030.

Department for Transport ministers and officials meet regularly with their counterparts in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. These include discussions on the significance of getting sufficient grid capacity to electrify ports, for cruise and ferries to use shore power and policy options to accelerate connection dates for strategic demand customers, such as critical port sites. This is informed by the Department for Transport call for evidence on Net Zero Ports, published in March 2025, which posed questions on managing future energy demand at ports.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
96105
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Ports Electrification Passenger ships National grid
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk