Matt Rodda MP: Climate Timeline

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Matt Rodda's Climate-related Tweets, Speeches & Votes

We've found the following climate-related tweets, speeches & votes by Matt Rodda in the last 90 days

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• 17 Jan 2025: Tweet

  My weekly update: - The importance of investing in Green Energy - Investment in new technology - Action against anti-social behaviour https://x.com/MattRodda/status/1880184618554728536/video/1 [Source]

• 10 Jan 2025: Tweet

  My weekly update including: - Investment in the health service - Green energy funding - Rivers and flood risk https://x.com/MattRodda/status/1877662036093456553/video/1 [Source]

• 08 Jan 2025: Tweet

  I spoke in favour of the Crown Estate Bill to point out the potential benefits to renewable energy infrastructure in Berkshire and across the country. https://x.com/MattRodda/status/1877022703238172799/video/1 [Source]

• 7 Jan 2025: Parliamentary Speech

  Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to speak in today’s debate. I wish to speak in favour of the Bill and to make a few brief points, both general ones about wider policy and some in relation to my constituency. I wish to cover the issue of the Crown Estate in central London. I shall then move on to the estate’s property around the coastline, and, finally, I shall come on to some of what I hope will be significant wider benefits of the just transition to a green economy.

  Secondly, let me move to the issues of the coastline. It is worth noting that the UK is a leader in offshore wind. We need to recognise the benefits of the past few years, particularly the move to the majority of British energy being generated by low carbon sources, particularly offshore wind. However, there is a need for a new, significant additional step up, which requires the mapping of new areas of seabed, new interconnectors, and new grid connectivity at the coast, because the whole of the grid at the moment is designed around a post-war model of large, coal-fired generation inland, so there is significant need for further investment in coastal locations. As my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Steve Race) mentioned earlier, some of that is not particularly well mapped, and part of the work that we are seeing allowed today is the ability of the Crown Estates to map much of its property on the coast or on the seabed more accurately, therefore allowing investment as well as supporting and regulating investment as well. I ask the Chief Secretary whether he could outline further detail of aspects of that, in particular the scope for the Bill to allow for and support more investment in interconnectors to other neighbouring countries, as well as more grid connectivity at the coast itself, which can be a bottleneck for renewable energy coming onshore.

  Thirdly, I would like to discuss some of the wider benefits of the Bill and ask some further questions. One of the big challenges with the move towards renewable energy is delays in grid connectivity. I have seen that in my own area when I visited a large solar farm next to the M4 motorway, just outside Reading in the seat occupied by my hon. Friend the Member for Earley and Woodley (Yuan Yang). The connection of this large solar array to the grid was delayed by a year because of a lack of capacity among energy companies and wider infrastructure challenges. I hope the Chief Secretary can provide some further detail on how the Bill will allow further acceleration of grid connectivity. I also hope it will add to the wider green energy economy and that the benefits accruing from it could be felt by some smaller onshore schemes.

  I certainly ask the Chief Secretary if he could investigate the possibility for it supporting some smaller schemes. For example, in my area there is an innovative scheme to put a low-head hydro generation scheme on the Thames at Caversham. That generates power for several hundred homes. However, there were significant challenges in installing the scheme. Again, grid connectivity, access to capital and other practical issues delayed the project. Up and down the Thames, and other major rivers, there are many examples of sites that could be used for this straightforward, rapidly deployable form of renewable energy. I would appreciate the Minister writing to me if he is unable to comment directly today.

  Full debate: Crown Estate Bill [Lords]

• 23 Oct 2024: Tweet

  Solar power is a key component of the UK’s transition to Net Zero. I spoke during this week's debate about my experience with local solar energy, the diversification of income this offers farmers, and methods of reducing the impact on the rural landscape. https://x.com/MattRodda/status/1849091406247125335/video/1 [Source]