HC Deb 20 October 2003 vol 411 cc444-5W
Mr. Tynan

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of whether(a) electricity demand is likely to surpass 54.4 GW in England and Wales during this winter, (b) gas demand is likely to surpass 450 Mcm during this winter and (c) there is sufficient (i) electricity generation capacity and (ii) gas supply and storage capacity to meet this demand; and if she will make a statement. [132431]

Mr. Timms

National Grid Transco reports annually to Ofgem on the outlook for the forthcoming winter. Ofgem published the latest assessment on 14 October 2003. The assessment covers winter peak electricity and gas demand. It also covers electricity generation capacity and gas supply.

The report is available in the Libraries of the House.

DTI is working with Ofgem, through the joint energy security of supply working group (JESS) to monitor energy security, specifically taking a forward look and make the conclusions publicly available—allowing market participants to react in good time.

Mr. Tynan

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment she has made of the proportion of electricity demand in the United Kingdom in(a) 2005, (b) 2010, (c) 2015 and (d) 2020 that will be met by electricity generated using (i) gas and (ii) renewable fuels. [132432]

Mr. Timms

The latest provisional DTI energy projections which update those in Energy Paper 68, indicate a share for gas generation of 33 per cent. and 50 per cent. in 2005 and 2010 respectively. For renewables, the shares are 5 per cent. and 10 per cent. respectively. Further updating of these estimates is under way, including estimates for later years. The projections are available at the following website:http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sepn/projections.pdf