beis

Theresa May has continued to draw anger from environmentalists after suggesting that individual households could be paid for agreeing to greenlight local fracking projects.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has confirmed its eagerly awaited ministerial portfolios weeks after new prime minister Theresa May established the so-called super department.

A think tank that includes senior Conservative figures among its members has called for the government to call time on the Hinkley C nuclear power plant.

The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has estimated that just 88MW of solar was installed in Q2 2016, less than half than was deployed in Q2 2015.

The UK government needs to provide “continuity and stability” in its energy and climate change policy according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), which has called on Greg Clark to pick up the baton left by former energy secretary Amber Rudd.

As the days pass from the scrapping of DECC from Whitehall in favour of the new business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS) department, few details have trickled through about how the new branch of government will operate. David Pratt examines what we do know and what remains to be seen as parliament heads off for the summer.

Solar Power Portal runs through this week’s people news from within UK solar including changes at the top of Anesco and Absolute Solar and Wind, as well as the likely new ministerial appointments to the energy brief at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Scottish energy minister Paul Wheelhouse is said to be seeking urgent talks with the UK government following its decision to scrap the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) in favour of a new business-led department.