Written question asked by Adrian Ramsay (Green Party) on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 13 July 2026. It was answered by Michael Shanks (Labour) on Friday, 17 July 2026 on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Energy Supply

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to take steps to ensure that demand-side assets are given equal prominence to generation in the Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs).

Answer: The Government recognises the important role of demand-side assets. This is reflected in the Regional Energy Strategic Plans (RESPs), which the National Energy System Operator (NESO) is developing to support whole-system distribution-level planning across energy demand, supply, storage and flexibility. NESO will develop RESPs with local actors, network operators and wider stakeholders, helping to ensure demand-side assets are appropriately considered in RESP outputs, including Pathways and Consistent Planning Assumptions. A ‘Consumer and Commercial Demand Working Group’ will also be established for each region.

Secondary information