HC Deb 23 February 1970 vol 796 cc790-1
5. Mr. Ashton

asked the Minister of Technology whether he will withhold approval from proposals by the Central Electricity Generating Board to convert coal-fired power stations to oil.

The Paymaster-General (Mr. Harold Lever)

As I told my hon. Friend the Member for Normanton (Mr. Albert Roberts) on 9th February, the C.E.G.B. applied, on 3rd February, for approval, under Section 2 of the Electric Lighting Act, 1909, to convert the Tilbury "B" Generating Station to burn oil. This is under consideration, and the implication for the coal industry will be taken into account before a decision is taken. I will bear in mind the anxieties about the future of the coal industry which my hon. Friend has expressed and of which I myself am very much aware.

Mr. Ashton

Can my right hon. Friend assure us that he is taking notice of pages 16 and 24 of the fuel policy White Paper which refer to security of supplies, the cost of overseas foreign currency and the fact that oil would be used only in exceptional circumstances such as pollution or really exceptional cost-effectiveness circumstances?

Mr. Lever

I always spend my life in intense receptiveness to all the words of all the paragraphs of all the White Papers relevant to this matter. I can promise my hon. Friend that I will give special attention to that point. But I hope he will bear in mind what I told the House, that at the present time the demand for coal by the generating stations exceeds the capacity of the coal industry to deliver, and that there is no fall-off in demand from the C.E.G.B. The demand is running at record levels at present.

Sir J. Eden

Is it not a fact that these stations, the conversion of which has recently been authorised, have been in the C.E.G.B. programme for about 15 years?

Mr. Lever

The conversions were not recently authorised but were authorised many years ago, I believe by the predecessor Government. They were not authorised by us. I am making no point of this, but the reason for now operating this permission is the difficulty of getting adequate coal supplies.