§ 2. Sir Edward Keelingasked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether the new Bankside power station has come into action; what its annual consumption of fuel oil will be; how much sulphur this oil will contain; how many tons of sulphur oxides will be formed on combustion; and what proportion of these will annually be discharged into the atmosphere.
§ Mr. Geoffrey LloydNo, Sir, not yet. The station is expected annually to consume about 40,000 tons of fuel oil, containing about 1,600 tons of sulphur which will form about 3,200 tons of oxides on combustion. About 5 per cent. will be discharged into the atmosphere.
§ Sir E. KeelingIs my right hon. Friend satisfied that, when Bankside starts work, and, still more, when it is completed—that is, doubled—the sulphur oxides discharged from it will not harm St. Paul's?
§ Mr. LloydI do not know that I can give an unqualified undertaking in that respect, but the Fuel Research Station, the British Electricity Authority and the authorities of St. Paul's Cathedral are installing special instruments to measure the amount of sulphur dioxide discharged.
§ Mr. IsaacsIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the opening of the new station will relieve the residents in the locality of the nuisance of soot and grit now deposited by the old station, and that the earlier it is opened the better they will be pleased?
§ Sir E. KeelingThe old station ought to have been pulled down.
§ Mr. LloydI believe that the solution, which was arrived at in the time of the late Government, was with a view to improving the conditions.