§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy how many consultants' reports on combined heat and power he has received affecting parts of major cities; what he estimates would be the cost of financing projects; and what would be the time scale involved.
§ Mr. Buchanan SmithThe report on combined heat and power prepared for my Department by W. S. Atkins and Partners has been supplemented by 22 further reports concerning specific aspects of CHP schemes in the major cities studied. The Atkins report estimates that the fixed cost of financing CHP projects would range from between £346 million and £825 million depending on the city selected. The report also estimates that the major capital works for a project would take from 12 to 14 years to complete, again depending on the city selected, but consumers would continue to be connected to the heating network on an incremental basis over the life of the scheme.