§ Ms RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what part the Government expects Drax power station and Radcliffe power station to play in the market for providing clean electricity; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AtkinsUnder the United Kingdom's national plan implementing the EC large combustion plants directive, each of the two generators in England and Wales is482W allocated an annual quota of maximum emissions of sulphur dioxides and oxides of nitrogen for the company's generating operations as a whole. Each company has the freedom to decide the distribution of its quotas between its individual power stations, taking account inter alia of market conditions, subject to meeting the conditions in individual site authorisations issued by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
As I indicated in answer to the hon. Member on 22 November, Official Report, columns 66–67, HMIP is currently in discussion with the generators about its generating operations and improvement programmes for each station.