§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy what will be the coal requirement of the proposed synthetic natural gas slagging gasifier at the Westfield development centre in Scotland of the British Gas Corporation; and whether he has made any estimate of the potential coal requirement of synthetic natural gas.
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§ Mr. John MooreBGC is now constructing a larger version of the BGC/Lurgi slagging gasifier at its Westfield development centre which is expected to have a coal requirement of 500 tonnes a day. The future requirement for substitute natural gas will depend on many factors including the availability of natural gas, the rate of economic growth, the future demand for gas and the prices of coal and competing fuels. The uncertainties in all these are large.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the potential contribution of the proposed British Gas slagging gasifier at Westfield, Fife, to the United Kingdom's energy programme.
§ Mr. John MooreThe BGC/Lurgi slagging gasifier is the main basis for the development of coal gasification processes in the United Kingdom. Its chief application is expected to be for the manufacture of substitute natural gas, when natural supplies will need to be augmented, but it may also be used for coal gasification for other purposes.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will assess the contribution that the proposed slagging gasifier at Westfield, Fife, will make to synthetic natural gas research and development.
§ Mr. John MooreThe larger BGC/Lurgi slagging gasifier is intended to demonstrate on a large scale advanced techniques for the gasification of coal for the manufacture of substitute natural gas. In conjunction with the test runs on the existing plant, this programme will provide a firm basis for the design of commercial plants for use either in the United Kingdom or abroad.