To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what studies have been undertaken by his Department into the effect of increasing dependency on gas-fired electricity production; and what are the implications for gas reserves.

My Department is monitoring the development of the new power generation market for gas. Power generation from gas contributes towards fuel diversity in electricity production and carries environmental benefits. The current evidence suggests the United Kingdom has sufficient known reserves of gas and the potential for new discoveries to supply all the demands of the United Kingdom market, including power generation, well into the next century.