§ Mr. JackTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy what is his assessment of the prospects for the establishment of independent generators after the privatisation of the electricity supply industry.
§ Mr. BaldryThe encouragement of competition in generation has always been one of the fundamental aims of our privatisation proposals. My Department is aware of around 20 major private generation projects in prospect, totalling some 7GW of capacity. The first of the new independent generating companies to take advantage of the opportunities offered as a result of our proposals is Lakeland Power, which last October signed a contract with the North Western electricity board.