§ Mr. Onslowasked the Secretary of State for Energy what estimates he has made of the number of standby generators currently held by industrial firms in the United Kingdom; and what consideration he has given to permitting the use of these at peak periods of demand for electricity.
§ Mr. EadieThe most recent estimate of the number of firms with stand-by generating sets and of the total installed capacity is given in Business Monitor M11, which is available in the Library of the House. The figures relate to April 1975, and show that 7,222 firms possessed standby sets with a total capacity of 1.55 GVA. An additional 76 MVA was on order. The use of such sets for the public system at periods of normal peak demand, as opposed to periods of emergency, is a matter for commercial negotiation between the owner of the set and his local electricity board.