Supplies (Hansard, 10 November 1975)

§ Mr. Benn

The hazards to fuel and power supplies from cold weather are described below together with the steps taken by Government and industry to anticipate their effects.

Cold weather hazards

In general, the worst hazard affecting the movement of fuel stocks is a combination of heavy snowfall and prolonged severe frost. Heavy snow or severe frost on their own will also affect road and rail movement and the latter can cause problems by freezing up stocks of solid fuel. Inevitably, any sudden onset of severe weather is likely to cause some dislocation of energy supplies before 394W counter measures can have full effect. But with adequate preparedness—by the fuel and transport industries, by local authorities, and on the part of consumers themselves—winter risks can be minimised. They cannot, however, be eliminated and some dislocation is always possible.

Measures to combat winter conditions

The fuel industries, and the transport industries, have contingency plans for reducing the effects of severe cold on the production and distribution of fuel stocks. Responsibility for keeping rail freight moving lies with British Rail. In the event of heavy snowfalls, special trains are available for keeping lines open and heaters have been installed to prevent points from freezing. Local authorities employ resources for keeping roads open under severe winter conditions, and, as with the British Rail, they have over recent years, with guidance from the Department of the Environment, improved their preparations for dealing with these conditions.

Coal. Bad weather is unlikely to interfere with deep-mined production except perhaps in severely affected areas by temporarily reducing the work force available; there has also in the past been the very exceptional case of a pit's winding gear freezing up. At some opencast sites production may be halted temporarily, say by very heavy and continuous rainfall. The main effect of bad weather is on coal movement, 70 per cent. approximately of which is by rail, and the NCB has long experience of the problems which arise. The first aim is to keep all pits and opencast sites working as normally as possible and if movement were restricted, coal would be stocked at or around the pithead or site for accelerated distribution when conditions eased. Generally there is adequate room at pitheads and opencast sites for this purpose.

Each year in October the NCB reviews with British Rail its estimates of winter production and the railway resources available to move it. Contingency plans to transfer movement temporarily to road are then brought up to date and detailed consultations take place at regional and 395W area level with railway officers and main consumers. Following this the Joint NCB/BR Policy Committee meets to consider and approve the overall contingency plans.

Current stocks of coal at power stations are over 18 million tons—eight weeks' at normal winter rates of consumption. The British Steel Corporation and industry generally have about seven to eight weeks' supply, and coal merchants about four weeks', apart from certain grades, e. g. anthracite. All this represents normal or above average stocks. In the event of serious interruption of deliveries from the pits the NCB would take steps to direct supplies to priority customers such as hospitals, schools and other essential services.

Gas. The British Gas Corporation expects to be able to cope with severe winter conditions. Ninety-five per cent. of all the gas used in the United Kingdom comes from the North Sea and neither natural gas nor its transmission system is affected by low temperature conditions. Special measures are taken to protect manufactured gas installations against the effects of cold weather. Interruptions in the delivery of naphtha feed-stocks could affect gas manufacture but stocks are adequate and no serious problems are expected, especially as such a low proportion of gas used in this country is manufactured.

Electricity. In the autumn of each year the Electricity Council reviews with the CEGB and the area electricity boards the now well-developed methods for dealing with emergencies in electricity supply to ensure their continued adequacy to deal with the winter ahead. Due to the sharp downturn in the demand for electricity there is at present a considerable amount of spare capacity in the electricity supply system. Unless extremely cold weather arrives unexpectedly the electricity supply system should be able to meet all demands this winter bearing in mind the high stocks of fuel which are available at the power stations. Some consumers, particularly in the remoter 396W regions, may suffer temporary loss of supply if overhead distribution lines are brought down by snow or ice but widespread interruptions of supply are unlikely.

Oil. Much of the oil consumed is transported by pipelines which are not affected by cold. In severe weather the supply of oil by rail to terminals and direct to customers would in general be safeguarded by the measures taken by British Rail, and similarly the measures taken by local authorities to keep roads open should ensure that road tanker deliveries are maintained at a reasonable level. The expectation is, therefore, that even under severe conditions oil should continue to get through in adequate quantities to meet essential needs.

Conclusion

Severe weather will inevitably cause local difficulties and some problems over the supply of particular fuels. If prolonged it could cause inconvenience to any industrial, commercial and domestic consumers who have allowed their stocks of fuel to run down by the time the weather affects distribution. The flexibility of the supply systems used by the energy industries and the special measures employed by British Rail and the local authorities to keep communications open are essential elements in the contingency plans for ensuring that users' essential requirements can continue to be successfully met. All consumers can, however, help to insure against being vulnerable to winter movement difficulties by building up, in advance of the onset of cold weather, the stocks of fuel they hold on their own premises, as is already the practice at power stations and steelworks.