Mr. HinchcliffeTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of gas used for electricity generation is not provided by British Gas and United Kingdom-based companies.
Mr. HinchcliffeTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what are his projections for non-United Kingdom gas consumption for(a) the next decade and (b) the next 50 years in the electricity generating industry.
§ Mr. EggarIn 1991 the United Kingdom imported 7 billion cu m of Norwegian gas, almost all from the Frigg field. Production from this field is declining rapidly and will cease around 1997. Some additional gas from the Frigg area will be imported from 1993 for around 16 years. On 30 January 1992 the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy announced that the Government would facilitate two imports of Norwegian gas for sale to National Power and an independent power generation project. These are the only firm proposals to import gas of which I am aware.
The review my right hon. Friend announced to the House on 21 October will look into the latest estimates of likely gas reserves, and will consider the scale of gas-generated power stations in production, in build and in the planning process.