To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of off-grid homes which are suitable for a hydronic heat pump.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of off-grid homes which are suitable for a hydronic heat pump.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress her Department has made on decarbonising heating in off-grid homes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress her Department has made on decarbonising heating in off-grid homes.

Our electricity grid is one of the most important pieces of infrastructure in the country, but it was allowed to get into a complete mess through under-investment and a failure to tackle the grid connection queue, which got to over 700 GW under the previous Government. We have grappled with that legacy head-on, reducing the queue by 300 GW and ensuring that accurate connection offers are issued. We have made progress on that, but there is much more to do to make sure that the grid works for the people of this country. That is why we are injecting public control back into the system by launching Great British Grid.

Our electricity grid is one of the most important pieces of infrastructure in the country, but it was allowed to get into a complete mess through under-investment and a failure to tackle the grid connection queue, which got to over 700 GW under the previous Government. We have grappled with that legacy head-on, reducing the queue by 300 GW and ensuring that accurate connection offers are issued. We have made progress on that, but there is much more to do to make sure that the grid works for the people of this country. That is why we are injecting public control back into the system by launching Great British Grid.

Southampton’s port electrification and decarbonisation projects are ready to go, but we still cannot get the national grid upgrades that we need for at least another decade. The Prime Minister himself has said that this drives costs up, drags growth down and holds Britain back, so I really welcome the announcements about Great British Grid. Will the Minister say when GB Grid will be able to start filling those gaps that exist at the moment, and will he meet me and Southampton’s businesses so that we can find a way forward and get good green growth in Southampton’s postcodes?

Southampton’s port electrification and decarbonisation projects are ready to go, but we still cannot get the national grid upgrades that we need for at least another decade. The Prime Minister himself has said that this drives costs up, drags growth down and holds Britain back, so I really welcome the announcements about Great British Grid. Will the Minister say when GB Grid will be able to start filling those gaps that exist at the moment, and will he meet me and Southampton’s businesses so that we can find a way forward and get good green growth in Southampton’s postcodes?

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to highlight the point that the Prime Minister made about how critical it is to fix the fundamental problems with connecting to the grid. That is why we have announced that we have set up Great British Grid as part of Great British Energy. We have made substantial progress on reforming the queue, but we do have to build the grid after decades of under-investment. I am very happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss this issue, and I am fairly confident that we can make sure that National Grid is part of that conversation as well.

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to highlight the point that the Prime Minister made about how critical it is to fix the fundamental problems with connecting to the grid. That is why we have announced that we have set up Great British Grid as part of Great British Energy. We have made substantial progress on reforming the queue, but we do have to build the grid after decades of under-investment. I am very happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss this issue, and I am fairly confident that we can make sure that National Grid is part of that conversation as well.

Bute Energy is planning to build a big wind farm in mid-Wales, and it is going to connect that wind farm over 47 km of pylons into a substation in North Shropshire that does not yet exist. I found out on the National Energy System Operator’s website that that substation is likely to be a 24 bay, 400 kV substation in a place with no substantial roads and a good amount of useful farmland. Will the Minister meet me to discuss the appropriateness of the site? I think it could go elsewhere, which would require a shorter run of pylons for Bute Energy. There are more appropriate places to build it than Lower Frankton.

Bute Energy is planning to build a big wind farm in mid-Wales, and it is going to connect that wind farm over 47 km of pylons into a substation in North Shropshire that does not yet exist. I found out on the National Energy System Operator’s website that that substation is likely to be a 24 bay, 400 kV substation in a place with no substantial roads and a good amount of useful farmland. Will the Minister meet me to discuss the appropriateness of the site? I think it could go elsewhere, which would require a shorter run of pylons for Bute Energy. There are more appropriate places to build it than Lower Frankton.

I am very happy to meet the hon. Lady to discuss this issue, as I am always happy to meet Members from across the House. It is not for me as a Minister to decide the exact locations of substations, but I am happy to engage with her and to raise the issue with the relevant transmission owner.

I am very happy to meet the hon. Lady to discuss this issue, as I am always happy to meet Members from across the House. It is not for me as a Minister to decide the exact locations of substations, but I am happy to engage with her and to raise the issue with the relevant transmission owner.

What recent progress she has made on reforming electricity grid connections.

What recent progress she has made on reforming electricity grid connections.

To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the National Energy System Operator report submitted to Ofgem on grid system stress in the week of 22 June to be published; whether it will be published in full; and whether its findings will be subject to a formal external review independent of government.

To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the National Energy System Operator report submitted to Ofgem on grid system stress in the week of 22 June to be published; whether it will be published in full; and whether its findings will be subject to a formal external review independent of government.

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of new data centre capacity in (1) England, (2) Wales, and (3) Northern Ireland, approved under the forthcoming National Policy Statement for data centres will be required to have confirmed grid connection capacity at the point of approval.

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of new data centre capacity in (1) England, (2) Wales, and (3) Northern Ireland, approved under the forthcoming National Policy Statement for data centres will be required to have confirmed grid connection capacity at the point of approval.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the Government intends to require data centres above a specified capacity to provide a minimum level of demand flexibility as a condition of grid connection.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether the Government intends to require data centres above a specified capacity to provide a minimum level of demand flexibility as a condition of grid connection.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what consideration has been given to the potential merits of requiring new data centres above a threshold capacity to provide on-site dispatchable generation or storage as a condition of connection, as adopted by the Commission for Regulation of...

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what consideration has been given to the potential merits of requiring new data centres above a threshold capacity to provide on-site dispatchable generation or storage as a condition of connection, as adopted by the Commission for Regulation of...

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, on what date Ofgem and NESO will publish final decisions on demand connection reform; and when the list of strategically important demand projects will be published.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, on what date Ofgem and NESO will publish final decisions on demand connection reform; and when the list of strategically important demand projects will be published.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what criteria will be used to designate strategically important demand projects for prioritised grid connection; and whether all sites within AI Growth Zones will be so designated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what criteria will be used to designate strategically important demand projects for prioritised grid connection; and whether all sites within AI Growth Zones will be so designated.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many transmission-connected demand projects have received Gate 2 offers under the Gate 2 to Whole Queue process; how many are data centres; and what the earliest and latest connection date is offered to a data centre.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many transmission-connected demand projects have received Gate 2 offers under the Gate 2 to Whole Queue process; how many are data centres; and what the earliest and latest connection date is offered to a data centre.

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increase in applications for data centres in the UK; and whether there is adequate provision for connection to the national grid.

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increase in applications for data centres in the UK; and whether there is adequate provision for connection to the national grid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of whether existing compensation arrangements adequately reflect the impact of the proposed Norwich to Tilbury electricity transmission project on the operation of affected agricultural businesses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of whether existing compensation arrangements adequately reflect the impact of the proposed Norwich to Tilbury electricity transmission project on the operation of affected agricultural businesses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what her Department’s latest estimate is of the completion date of the Yorkshire GREEN project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what her Department’s latest estimate is of the completion date of the Yorkshire GREEN project.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many datacentres are currently in the queue to connect to the National Grid, and what the average expected connection wait time is.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many datacentres are currently in the queue to connect to the National Grid, and what the average expected connection wait time is.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what her Department’s latest estimate is of the total capital cost of the transmission network upgrades required to deliver Clean Power 2030.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what her Department’s latest estimate is of the total capital cost of the transmission network upgrades required to deliver Clean Power 2030.