§ Mr. RedwoodTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what plan she has to increase regional aid in areas affected by coal closures. [17957]
§ Mrs. Beckett[holding answer 27 November 1997]: The Government recognise that communities hit by pit closures face distinctive problems. We have therefore established a Coalfield Task Force which will identify and develop a programme of action to assist coal closure areas.
§ Mr. RedwoodTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what tonnage of coal she estimates is displaced by a 1,200 MW gas-fired power station. [18042]
§ Mrs. Beckett[holding answer 27 November 1997]: The impact of a new gas fire station will depend on its mode of operation, the competitive position of other stations and the level of demand that is required to be met. If run at baseload a 1,200 MW station might generate some 8–9 TWh of electricity per year. If it were fully to displace a coal fired station also running at baseload, as would have been the case for new plant five years ago when a substantial amount of coal fired plant ran at baseload, it would be likely to displace about 3.5 million tonnes of coal per year.
In today's market place displacement may be less than this if, as is possible, the new plant now displaces other plant rather than coal. Such impacts are complex and cannot now be more precisely assessed.