§ Mr. RostTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will update the estimates provided in energy papers 20, 35 and 53, which calculated the reduction in fossil fuel burn that would result from the introduction of combined heat and power, assuming(a) the fuel for CHP plant will be coal, gas, or nuclear, and (b) a more competitive regime resulting from the privatisation of the electricity industry.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonMy Department has no plans to update the estimates made in energy papers 20, 35, 53.
While CHP would reduce the overall primary energy requirement compared to separate production of heat and power the extent of implementation of CHP and the resultant fuel savings will depend on investment decisions of developers. The inherent thermal efficiency of CHP means that it should be well placed to take advantage of the more competitive arrangements resulting from our privatisation proposals.