§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will announce the measures Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution will take to ensure the control of emissions from power stations burning orimulsion.
§ Mr. MacleanThe burning of orimulsion or any other fuel in power stations is subject to control by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution under integrated pollution control—IPC—legislation. All IPC authorisations require the operator to use the best available techniques not entailing excessive cost—BATNEEC—to prevent or minimise and render harmless the release of prescribed substances to any environmental medium.
The chief inspector of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution is currently considering two applications from PowerGen to burn orimulsion at Ince power station in Cheshire and Richborough power station in Kent. Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution has agreed with PowerGen an extension to the determination period for 151W both applications until the end of July allowing further time for consideration of the economic and environmental impact of this new fuel.