§ Mr. Swainasked the Minister of Power whether the rate of flow of natural gas from the North Sea will be uniform throughout the year or controlled to suit seasonal variations in the demand.
§ Mr. FreesonIf the supply of natural gas from the North Sea develops in accordance with current estimates of potential capacity it will constitute a rapidly increasing proportion of the total supply of gas for United Kingdom consumption. In these circumstances it is to be expected that, whatever may be done by other means to adjust the supply of gas to demand, for example by the use of frozen storage and of increased production of manufactured gas, it will be necessary to regulate the flow of North Sea gas to suit seasonal variations.