§ 13. Mr. Silvesterasked the Minister of Power if he will reduce the planned future excess of electricity generating capacity on maximum cold-spell demand to 14 per cent.
§ Mr. FreesonNo change is envisaged at present, but the planning margin is kept under review.
§ Mr. SilvesterAs the Parliamentary Secretary has overshot the 17 per cent. included in the plans made so far, might it not be better to aim for 14 per cent. in the hope of coming a little nearer to the target he now has in mind?
§ Mr. FreesonI wish hon. Members opposite would listen carefully to the Answers which are given. In a previous Answer I said that we were running in the area of 17 per cent. but that it would vary from time to time according to the teething troubles experienced in the larger units. That is the present position. It 1101 is inaccurate to suggest that there is a massive excess of capacity.
§ Mr. RidleyIs the Parliamentary Secretary aware that at present it is 21 per cent.? As he says that electricity capacity will allow of higher growth in future than has been experienced in the past, will he say upon what higher rate of growth it will be based?
§ Mr. FreesonOn the last point, I must ask hon. Members to await the planning document which will be published as a Green Paper in the near future. On the first point, the hon. Gentleman is wrong.