Question reference: S6W-10124
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 2 August 2022
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Current status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 25 August 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the electricity grid will have capacity to cope with demand, should its proposed ban on the use of direct emissions heating systems in new-build properties from 2024 be put in place; whether it will provide any data it has on the matter; what action it is taking to ensure that the electricity grid would be able to meet that demand; what the cost of any such action is, and who it anticipates will bear any such cost.
Answer
The regulation and funding of electricity networks are reserved to the UK Government. However, we are engaging closely with Ofgem and BEIS to ensure that its policy and regulation recognises and enables Scotland’s world leading net zero target, and this includes our plans for heat decarbonisation.
The Scottish Government has also worked closely with network companies to ensure their business plans reflect the scale and pace of low carbon technology deployment required to meet net zero targets. We have also set up a new Heat Electrification Strategic Partnership (HESP) with them as a forum within which to further develop our understanding of the scale, pace and location of network investment needed.
Ofgem’s draft determinations on these plans have proposed a combined allowance of £2.5bn for both Scottish Network companies with additional allowance being made available, should the rate of deployment be higher than anticipated.