European Commission and Industry questioned by Lords in EU energy inquiry

• Parliament TV: EU energy: decarbonisation and economic competitiveness
• Inquiry: EU energy: decarbonisation and economic competitiveness
• EU Sub-Committee D - Agriculture, Fisheries, Environment and Energy

Witnesses

Wednesday 21 November, Committee Room 3A, Palace of Westminster

At 11.00am

• Philip Lowe, Director General, Directorate General for Energy (DG Energy), European Commission

At 12.00pm

• David Odling, Energy Policy Manager, Oil and Gas UK

The Committee are investigating how the issues of the cost of energy - as a big cost to industry - can be reduced and decarbonised, whilst also allowing the manufacturing process to continue to expand and encourage economic growth, helping Europe to climb its way out of recession.

Mr Lowe and Mr Odling are likely to face questions on issues including:

• UK Government proposals to pay UK energy providers to guarantee UK energy security rather than working collaboratively, and less expensively, with other Member States to share the burden of energy security
• whether, during this time of economic crisis, EU energy policy should be driven by reducing costs or boosting investment and how energy policy can play a role in job creation
• the role of the EU’s internal market, given the increasing globalisation of the energy market
• the respective roles of gas, shale gas, coal and renewable energy in the future
• how exactly the gas sector contributes to economic growth in the UK and on the wider EU economy
• whether the gas industry’s investment decisions are driven primarily by short term cost consideration or longer term investment returns and if renewable targets for 2030 and beyond could suppress investment in the industry

Further information

• About Parliament: Select committees
• Visiting Parliament: Watch committees