BRITISH RAIL: FINANCE (Hansard, 20 June 1991)

§ The Minister of State, Department of Transport (Lord Brabazon of Tara)

The Government have now completed discussions with the railways board about the serious financial situation that British Rail faces this year in the light of the downturn in the property market and its reduced forecasts of revenue. The Government have decided to increase British Rail's external financing limit (EFL) for 1991–92 by £400 million, to a revised total of £1,522 million. This increase will be charged to the reserve, and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure. Last year BR's EFL was increased in-year by £102 million, and BR subsequently overshot the revised EFL by £316 million. I am not, however, requiring BR to meet that overshoot from this year's provision, as would normally be required. The Secretary of State has also told the chairman of British Rail that he has approved his proposal to invest £127 million in 188 additional Networker vehicles for commuter services in South-East London and North Kent.

Current Promoter/Consortium	Location	Estimated Output (MW)
National Power plc	West Burton "B"	1,800
Nuclear Electric plc	Sizewell "B"	1,200
PowerGen plc	Killingholme, South Humberside	1,000

Since the Electricity Act 1989 came into force, the stations for which consents have been given for construction under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 are as follows:

Promoter/Consortium	Location	Estimated Output (MW)
Deeside Power Development Co. Ltd.	Deeside Industrial Park, Clwyd	450
Energy Resources Ltd	Keadby, Humberside	720
National Power plc	Killingholme, South Humberside	1,000
National Power plc	Little Barford, Bedfordshire	680
Nuclear Electric plc	Hinkley Point "C"	1,200
PowerGen plc	Rye House. Hertfordshire	560–680
Teesside Power Ltd	Wilton, Cleveland	1,725

In addition the following applications for consent to construct an electricity generating station under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 are still being considered: