Citizens Advice response to the Ofgem Consultation on the draft second preliminary Strategic Direction Statement for industry codes
We welcome the opportunity to contribute to the ongoing development of the Strategic Direction Statement (SDS) for industry codes. The SDS is important to prioritise and guide the work of the energy industry codes as the energy transition continues at pace.
We are supportive and largely agree with the proposals in the consultation. We have this additional comment: The SDS and the spreadsheet listing the objectives and Codes do not refer to the new Carbon Capture and Storage Code (CCS). This is because the CCS Code is currently not a designated document within section 182 of the Energy Act 2023 (‘the Act"). The CCS Code is therefore not currently part of the SDS. Given the high importance and costs associated with the carbon capture, usage, and storage policies of the government, we recommend that consideration be given to incorporating the CCS Code within the Act and to add the CCS Code’s activities to the SDS. A mechanism should be established so that any future new codes can be readily incorporated into the SDS (e.g. Heat Networks Code).