§ Lord Fraser of Carmyllieasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many proposals for gas-fired power stations they have awaiting determination for a licence; and what would be the annual equivalent in tonnes of coal burned that would be displaced if those licences were approved and the stations run at baseload.
§ The Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Simon of Highbury):Currently there are 29 applications involving gas-firing before the department (a mixture of Combined Cycle Gas Turbine, Combined Heat and Power, Open Cycle Gas Turbine and dual firing). The impact of these proposals will depend on their mode of operation, the competitive position of other stations and the level of demand that is required to be met. It is unlikely that all would run at baseload.
88WAThe impact of new stations is hard to assess in today's market place; such plant now displaces other plant than coal and it is unlikely that all would run at baseload.