§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how much extra coal will be burnt in April to June 1998 in British power stations as a result of the Government's recent action in response to the expiry of coal contracts with generators. [26832]
§ Mr. Battle[holding answer 2 February 1998]: Following discussions between the electricity generators and RJB Mining in December 1997, National Power and Eastern Electricity agreed with RJB Mining to accelerate deliveries of 600,000 tonnes between them in the April-June quarter of 1998. PowerGen agreed to purchase 1.1 million tonnes from RJB in this period. The volumes of coal burned in the quarter will depend upon the decisions of the individual generating companies.