§ Mr. ClaphamTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of gas-fired electricity generation in the United Kingdom currently; and what the estimated capacity is likely to be based on section 36 consents by(a) the end of 1998 and (b) 2000. [17198]
§ Mr. PageAt present, combined cycle gas turbines—CCGT—provide 9.5 GW of electricity generating capacity. Another 5.7 GW of CCGT capacity is currently under construction and should be completed by 1998. A further 7.6 GW of CCGT capacity has received section 36 consent and applications totalling 2.8 GW of CCGT capacity are currently under consideration. The decisions on whether to proceed with construction and its timing are matters for the companies concerned.
The Department does not prepare forecasts of electricity capacity, but in the scenarios produced to assess energy related emissions of CO2—published in Energy Paper 65—it was assumed that, in the year 2000, CCGT capacity would be in the range 16 to 18 GW.
§ Mr. ClaphamTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what action he is taking under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1990 to ensure diversity of supply in the electricity generating industry. [17199]
§ Mr. PageIn considering an application for consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1990, my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade would as a general rule treat matters such as the choice of fuel to be used and type of plant as commercial matters for the applicant concerned.