Mr. RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to encourage industrial users of(a) kerosene and (b) gas oil to switch to cleaner fuels. [108712]
§ Mr. HillUnder the Marketing of Gas Oil regulations 1994, the sulphur content of gas oil marketed in the UK is limited to 0.2 per cent. The Sulphur Content of Certain Liquid Fuels Directive (1999/32/EC), due to be transposed into member states legislation on 1 July 2000, will prohibit the use of gas oil with a sulphur content higher than 0.2 per cent. from 1 July 2000 and 0.1 per cent. from 1 January 2008.
The combustion of kerosene and gas oil in industrial processes above 20 Megawatts thermal input is regulated under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Over the past decade the Environment Agency has encouraged 231W operators of the processes they regulate under the Act to switch to less polluting fuels, initially from heavy fuel oil to gas oil, and then (over the last few years) to gas. For example, most gas turbines now use gas as their main fuel with gas oil or kerosene only as a backup in case of an interruption to the gas supply. The Environment Agency will continue to encourage these changes to cleaner fuels.