§ Viscount Hanworthasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will now confirm that, as stated by the Viscount Hanworth on 20th May (H.L. Deb., cols. 598–599), the losses in transferring the output of a 2,000 megawatt power station 200 miles through the grid would be approximately 14 per cent., and that in practice because of the inductance of the line affecting stability of the grid the maximum limit to full competition between power stations would be 100 miles.
§ Viscount DavidsonThe question assumes that the total output of a station is conveyed down a single line and not into an integrated grid. Such a situation is not representative of practice in the UK's integrated system. There is no doubt that it is technically and economically practicable to transmit substantial amounts of power over distances greater than 100 miles without incurring excessive losses. Consequently, the Government are satisfied that distance will not significantly limit competition between generators.