ROLE OF THE DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN PROVIDING BASELOAD ENERGY TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

That this House is concerned that an estimated 1.2 billion people worldwide remain without electricity; acknowledges that in many developing countries this compounds the problems of disease, poor education and illegal migration; regrets that the UN target for universal access to energy by 2030 will be missed and that energy poverty is still growing in parts of Africa; understands that reliable, safe and affordable baseload energy is essential to help developing countries to grow their economies and become future trading partners; accepts that they will need to use all available resources, including coal and gas, alongside renewables, to meet their future energy needs; recalls that consequently the International Energy Agency has forecast that the amount of electricity generated by fossil fuels in non-OECD countries will inevitably increase; recognises that the latest technologies can substantially reduce emissions and carbon capture can remove over 90 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, playing a vital role in tackling climate change and meeting the Paris Agreement targets while still allowing developing nations to access cheap and reliable power essential to lift millions out of energy poverty; notes there is a risk that developing nations may choose to deploy older, more polluting technology, due to financing restrictions on new fossil fuel plants; and calls on the Government to prioritise international aid to enable developing nations to choose the latest technology when utilising their fossil fuel resources, and to encourage further research to make it increasingly attractive, in addition to supporting new renewables projects.