§ Mr. Aitkenasked the Secretary of State for Energy what proposals he is considering for linking the British and French electricity grid systems; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Benn,pursuant to the reply [Official Report, 14th November 1977, Vol. 939, c. 6–7], gave the following information:
I am informing the Central Electricity Generating Board that it has my approval 546W in principle for investment in the proposed 2,000 MW cross-Channel electricity cable to be constructed and operated jointly with Electricité de France—EdF. The expected cost to the CEGB is £131 million. The link is planned to come into operation in stages, the first 1,000 MW in 1982 and the second in 1983. The link will add to the security and diversity of the CEGB's sources of electricity and will provide an opportunity for the export of coal-fired electricity to France.
The construction of the link will not affect the Board's generating plant requirement until it is commissioned, when its relationship to generating plant capacity will be reviewed by the Government and the Board.