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Hydrogen: Carbon Emissions

Asked by Mary GlindonLabourDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroTabled Answered 27 April 2026UIN 128675

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the role low-carbon hydrogen could play in supporting (a) energy security and (b) industrial competitiveness in the next decade.

Answered by Michael Shanks

Hydrogen presents significant growth and economic opportunities across the UK, with the potential to enhance our energy security and provide significant value to the power system by providing a secure supply of home grown electricity during extended periods of low renewables output.

Low-carbon hydrogen can strengthen UK industrial competitiveness, attract investment and help safeguard and create skilled jobs, while also accelerating industrial decarbonisation in the long-term. In particular, it will play a focused but important role in decarbonising hard-to-electrify industries, like being used as a feedstock in chemicals and refining, and as a fuel for processes that require high-temperature heat and a direct-flame such as in glass and ceramics manufacturing.

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