§ 6. Mr. Gordon Campbellasked the Minister of Power if he will make a statement on the latest position concerning the exploitation of North Sea gas.
§ Mr. Mason139 exploration and appraisal wells and 35 production wells have been drilled to date. Four major gas fields have been found. Ten fixed production platforms and four undersea pipelines have been laid.
§ Mr. CampbellAs at least eight new finds have taken place since the White Paper on Fuel Policy was published, when does the Minister expect to be able to announce the new total of reserves; and 201 were they taken into account at the Sunningdale conference?
§ Mr. MasonNo. There are several other small discoveries which could turn out to be exploitable, but further evaluations are necessary to establish whether they are a commercial proposition. The reserves so far evaluated in the four gas fields amount to 25 trillion cubic feet.
§ Sir J. EdenWould the Minister commenton the fact that the Chairman of Shell recently indicated that the newly agreed price was not sufficient to encourage further exploitation?
§ Mr. MasonNo agreement has yet been reached on the Leman Bank and Indefatigable fields, but I hope that it will not be long before there is final agreement.