asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will confirm that his consent is required before the commissioning of new power stations by the Central Electricity Generating Board; and if he will now make such consent conditional upon the combination of electricity production with the harnessing of reject heat.

The consent of my right hon. Friend is needed under Section 2 of the Electric Lighting Act 1909 before the CEGB may construct or extend a generating station. It is not practicable to make consent for a station conditional upon the harnessing of reject heat.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many new coal and oil-burning power stations are under construction or planned; which of them will combine electricity and heat production; and what is the capacity, location, and projected thermal efficiency of each.

I am asking the Central Electricity Generating Board to write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy what was the cost of fuel burned by the Central Electricity Generating Board in power stations in the financial year 1973–74; and what is the estimated figure for 1974–75 and 1975–76.

I am asking the Chairman of the CEGB to write to the hon. Member.