§ Mr. SayeedTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department intends to take to ensure CHP is excluded from the obligation base for the Government's renewable energy obligation. [35386]
§ Mr. WilsonResponses to the Statutory Consultation on the Renewables Obligation included the suggestion that excluding electricity from good quality combined heat and power (CHP) installations from the total electricity sales figures on which the Renewables Obligation was based might be an effective means of supporting CHP.
In the event, this suggestion was not pursued, on the basis of clear legal advice that it would be going beyond the powers conferred by Parliament (ultra vires) to use an Obligation intended to promote renewable energy to promote other forms of energy generation.
DEFRA is developing, in close collaboration with other Departments, a draft CHP Strategy which will set out the measures needed to achieve the CHP target of at least 10,000 megawatts of good quality CHP by 2010. This will be issued for consultation shortly.